Royal Mash Vintage Vodka

Royal Mash Vintage Vodka is made from Jersey Royal potatoes from the British Channel Islands and has won numerous awards since it was introduced in 2020.

Potato vodkas are easily my favourite vodkas. Most of them display a creamy smoothness that many grain vodkas lack. A prime example are the vodkas made by Vestal Vodka from different kinds and years of Polish potatoes from the family farm.

Royal Mash Vintage Vodka

Royal Mash Vintage Vodka is made from Jersey Royal potatoes, probably Britain’s favourite spud, grown on the beautiful and lush island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, not far from the coast of France. When the first crop of Jersey new potatoes reach the shops early in the year, it’s a treat. They have a taste that is fresh and both earthy and sweet at the same time.

Why Vintage Vodka? Because the first batch of Royal Mash is made from the 2020 crop of potatoes, and each year will provide new potatoes and new vintages.

Making Royal Mash Vintage Vodka

The potatoes taste so good it’s surprising no-one has had the idea of making vodka from them before now. It was an inspired move. If you hadn’t guessed by now, Royal Mash is a clever play on the mash that’s made from cooking the potatoes in the distillation process, and my own favourite way of eating potatoes – mashed.

The vodka is distilled just once in 200-litre copper stills and made using English spring water. The notes say that the distillation takes place in the UK, which rules out Jersey, as does the fact that they use English spring water. Jersey is part of the British Isles, but not of England, though what matters, as always, is what’s in the bottle.

Tasting Royal Mash Vintage Vodka

The vodka is bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) and is crystal clear in appearance. On the nose it is pretty neutral although there are very subtle hints of vanilla, a little spice, and – though it might be suggestive – the creaminess of mashed potato.

It’s on the palate, though, that the vodka really scores. It is super-smooth, very sippable, with again that hint of spice and also an earthiness. That all follows through on the finish, which is very satisfying and immediately makes you want to repeat the experience.

Royal Mash Vintage Vodka Cocktails

Personally this is going to remain one of my handful of sipping vodkas, but I did make a simple Royal Mule with some Fever Tree Ginger Beer, and it was excellent. There are several more vodka cocktail recipes on the Royal Mash Vintage Vodka website.

Royal Mash Vintage Vodka Awards

The vodka’s won a whole host of awards in 2020 and 2021, including Best Varietal Vodka in the World Vodka Awards, an award for Distillery of the Year at the New York International Spirits Competition, and was rated a 5-Star vodka by the influential Difford’s Guide.

Buying Royal Mash Vintage Vodka

You can find out more on the Royal Mash website, where you can also see where it’s sold around the world. If you’re in the UK you can buy it from Amazon and from Harrods.