An interview with Jean Paul Combeau from Vodka Arte y Tecnica!

Jean Paul, how come your distillery is called Vodka Arte y Tecnica, "Vodka Art & Science"?

We make vodka and feel it is as much an art as it is a science. That's why our distillery is called Vodka Arte y Tecnica, Odin.

Where are you situated? What is the market for drinks looking like over at your place?

We are situatied in Bogota, Colombia. The Colombian market is huge, really huge. Colombia has a population of 50 milion people. Currently, the market is divided among legal producers, importers, bootleggers, and smugglers.

What products do you make besides vodka?

For the near future we plan to make use of the great variety of fruits and coffee varieties Colombia offers. We already tested some recipes with spectacular results, but are not ready yet to release them.

What local sugar sources do you use?

We stay away from sugars, even though here are very good local sources. Instead, we make our vodka from potato starch.

What's the goal you strive for? Where do you want to stand in 5 years time?

In 5 years from now, we want to be known as a top quality producer of a variety of spirits, locally and internationally. Colombia is not known for good quality Vodka worldwide. We plan to change that.

How did you find out about iStill?

We got to know about you through a guy named Chris, who runs the Nanodistiller Forum and organizes artesan distilling trainings in Jacksonville. Originally, we wanted to buy American distillation equipment. When we went over to Jacksonville for a training course, he mentioned iStill and the rest is history.

Why did you purchase the iStill 250?

We needed the biggest, most effective unit iStill had to offer, when we ordered in 2013. Picking the iStill 250 was a no brainer.

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