Still Spirits fans: if you're chasing vodka so smooth it disappears — here's what you're missing

June 12, 2025

Clear, Clean, and Crisp: How to Craft Vodka That Doesn’t Taste Like Regret

Vodka might be neutral by nature, but getting it there is anything but passive. Here’s everything you need to know to make clean, polished vodka — no weird flavours, no dodgy burns.

Vodka that tastes like nothing — in the best way

Ask any serious distiller and they’ll tell you: great vodka should be smooth, clean, and nearly flavourless. Think of it like glass — if there’s a smudge, a tint, or a fingerprint, it’s noticeable. Same goes for flavour when distilling vodka at home. Neutral isn’t bland, it’s brilliant — done right, it’s the clean canvas that everything else gets built on.

“Clean vodka isn’t made by accident. It’s made by not rushing, by respecting every stage of the process — especially the bit most blokes skip.”
– Candeece, Homebrew Specialist

Where things usually go wrong

Nearly everyone steps into home spirit-making with the same dream: crystal-clear vodka you can sip cold and straight. But more often than not, they end up with a bottle that either kicks like methylated spirits or smells like grandma’s fruit bowl. What gives?

Clean vodka is the result of three things working in sync:

Fermenting right – Keep it cool, clean, and steady. Ferment too hot or too dirty, and you'll smell it later.
Distilling with precision – Heads, hearts, tails. If you don’t cut properly, you’re mixing in compounds that shouldn't be there.
Effective filtering – Activated carbon is your best mate here. It pulls out impurities, smells, and by-products that muck up the flavour.

The three-part strategy for clean vodka

1. Start With a Clean Ferment

Vodka wash is simple — a sugar base, clean water, and a turbo yeast that finishes fast but clean. Your ferment space must be sanitised properly. No shortcuts here – any contaminants early on will carry into the final product.

Keep temps around 20–24°C. If it’s too hot, you’ll get unwanted fusels (harsh alcohols) and esters (fruity smells). Give it 5 to 7 days to finish fully – patience pays off.

2. Don’t Rush the Distill

This is where the gold is made. A quality reflux still is ideal for how to make clean vodka — it’s designed to purify alcohol by condensing and recondensing the vapours multiple times inside the column. More contact = more purity.

You’ll need to make cuts as you go:

Heads – First fraction off the still. Contains methanol and sharp, solvent-like notes. Discard.
Hearts – This is your target. Pure ethanol with a clean profile. Collect carefully.
Tails – Lower strength, a bit funky. Can be re-distilled later, but not for drinking as-is.

A digital thermometer helps spot the difference, but always go by smell and taste too. Remember, we’re not chasing quantity — we’re chasing clean.

3. Filter Like You Mean It

Even a well made hearts cut will benefit from charcoal filtration. This is the polish pass — it pulls lingering impurities and smooths things right out.

Use a proper still spirits carbon filter kit — run it slow and cold. Leave filtered spirit to rest for 24 hours minimum before proofing down with distilled water.

Why most home vodka tastes weird

It’s usually because people get impatient. They crank temps to speed up fermenting. They dump in flavouring too soon hoping it’ll hide faults. They chase high ABV to feel like they’ve done something big.

But ask anyone who's poured a shot so clean it made mates go wide-eyed and say, “You made this?” — that kind of vodka comes from giving a damn. From doing the less flashy bits right.

One final tip that changes everything

Water down your final product slowly, with distilled or reverse osmosis water only — not tap. Add a little at a time and let it rest between additions to avoid a reaction that causes cloudiness. That cloud isn’t magic — it’s minerals, oils, and unwanted bits shaking hands when they shouldn’t.

So what does perfect vodka actually taste like?

Nose: nearly nothing. Maybe the faintest whiff of ethanol, but no burn, no funk.
Mouthfeel: soft, clean, almost silky when served chilled.
Finish: short, smooth, and friendly — not biting, not cloying.

“Vodka this clean doesn’t feel like a shortcut — it feels like a win.”
– Candeece

Here’s the thing…

Making good vodka isn’t about fancy labels, expensive kits, or chasing gimmicks. It’s about respecting each step, from fermentation to filtering. It’s science, yes — but it’s also common sense backed by a bit of patience and pride.

The cleanest vodka? It’s probably not in a bottle on your shelf. It’s out in your shed, not even labelled yet — just waiting for you to dial it in and win yourself a fan club at the next BBQ.

Cheers to clean drops, proud pours, and getting it right, one batch at a time.

– Candeece