Wheyward Spirit's Farm to Flask Approach To Making Alcohol

As a human species, there is one thing that we all know for certain: we love our alcohol.

From ancient to modern times, we have always found a way to produce alcohol. Across the globe, each society had their own geographical conditions and cultural influences, but they all had one goal in common: to repurpose plentiful foods in preservation to avoid waste.

At Wheyward Spirit, we share this same goal. We use our very own liquid gold found in excess whey, a byproduct of cheese making, to create Wheyward Spirit.

There are over 100 billion (yes, billion!) pounds of whey created worldwide annually. For centuries, whey was typically used by dairy farmers as animal feed, but it could only go so far. Largely, it was only perceived as the waste product of cheesemaking. Dairies were (and still are) struggling to find an outlet for this high-quality ingredient.

In the 1960s, food scientists finally discovered a way to tackle this food waste problem.

Scientists began to filter the proteins and sugars from the liquid whey which could then be dried into a powder form. The protein fraction is what we now put into our post-workout shakes and known as whey protein powder. This repurposing added value to the food system and cut down on waste, but large components were still going unused and underutilized.

In recent years, modern food scientists have explored new ways to utilize excess whey, including Wheyward Spirit’s very own food scientist and founder, Emily Darchuk.

Since day one, Wheyward Spirit's motto has been “Farm to Flask”, instead of “grain to glass”. By sourcing whey from domestic dairies, we are upcycling and finally giving this fraction of whey its highest and best use. Many would consider this an innovative approach, but we believe that we are going back to the lessons and values of the civilizations and societies before us, utilizing every ingredient to its maximum potential. 

Truthfully, an astounding amount of food goes to waste in America - approximately 80 billion pounds of it per year. Wasting food has environmental consequences. Food production requires an incredible amount of water and energy — both of which generate greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change.

With this issue in mind, we wanted to create not only a distinctive and velvety smooth spirit, but also a sustainable spirit.

By sustainably sourcing we can control how we approach upcycling elements of cheese production and make a difference from farm-to-flask. Wheyward Spirit is a small, sustainable solution to a global food waste problem.

We do things a little differently than other spirit makers, but for the right reasons. We believe that we make a spirit as it was intended to be made: utilizing every ingredient, holistically and intentionally, to reduce food waste.

Want to try some for yourself? We ship to +37 states and counting! Head to our online shop to purchase a bottle now!

‍