The first consumer product to come from the Chernobyl exclusion zone could hit the shelves at some point in the near future. Scientists have distilled an artisan vodka called Atomik using rye and water from the area. Originally, it started out as an experiment to see just how much radioactive material transferred over to crops planted in the area.
According to the Chernobyl Spirit Company’s website, scientists discovered the radiocaesium measured in the rye they used “was below the (quite cautious) Ukrainian.”
The water used in the vodka to dilute it to 40% alcohol came from “a deep aquifer below the town of Chernobyl about 10 km south of the nuclear power station.” Scientists claim the water is” pure and of high quality, having water chemistry characteristic of a limestone aquifer such as that found in the South of England or the Champagne region of France.”
Read more on the studies here:
The scientists who work on the Atomik Project only do so in their spare time. Currently, the Chernobyl Spirits Company cannot sell nor take any orders for their product. Eventually, they plan to donate at least 75% of their profits to communities in the area still affected by the nuclear disaster and to wildlife conservation. But, there is just a slight problem with all this; only one bottle of the AtomiK vodka exists.
