Koskenkorva State-of-the-art Distillation

The Koskenkorva distillery is located in the village of Koskenkorva in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland.

The Koskenkorva distillery has a state-of-the-art distillation process that uses a highly developed producing technique that allows for an exceptional material efficiency. The process uses 100% of the barley grain and the production runs nonstop for 350 days a year.

Koskenkorva is produced by continuous distillation, using altogether 9 columns. In continuous distillation, barley mash is ceaselessly fed into the distillation process. The distillation happens in five distillation columns, each of which have their own roles and functions. There are also four supporting columns that recycle fusel alcohols from the main distillation and raise distillation efficiency up to 99%. From this fine distillation process comes the smooth taste of Koskenkorva Vodka.

There are also several advantages in continuous distillation when compared to batch distillation, such as the ability to distill larger amounts more efficiently. There also isn’t any need for unnecessary washing. This decreases water consumption, chemical and energy use, and ensures uniform quality. And finally, it means a 100% unfiltered pure spirit after the distillation.

Operating based on the principles of circular economy

In addition to grain spirit, the Koskenkorva plant produces several byproducts, such as starch and raw material for animal feed. Even the biogenic CO2 that can be captured from the fermentation process is used in, e.g., greenhouse farming. Barley starch is used in the paper and board industries, as well as the food industry and breweries. A versatile product range enables the Koskenkorva plant’s unique material efficiency.

The barley husk that would otherwise not be used in the Koskenkorva plant’s production is incinerated in the plant’s own bioenergy power plant, which supplies steam energy for the distillery. To make the circular economy circle complete, ashes from the bioenergy power plant are used as fertiliser on the fields.

The 10-megawatt bioenergy power plant has been operating at full capacity since January 2015, and it uses barley husk as its primary fuel. Barley husk is peeled in Koskenkorva’s grain spirit and starch production throughout the year. In terms of technology and fuel mix, the Koskenkorva bioenergy power plant is the first of its kind in Finland.

Thanks to the bioenergy power plant and renewable fuel, the Koskenkorva plant has been able to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by about 50% since 2014. The plant’s steam generation fuel self-sufficiency is about 60%. The new biomass boiler will replace the distillery’s existing fossil fuel-fired steam boiler and run on 100% renewable fuels. Once completed by the end of 2026, the transition will significantly cut emissions, strengthen operational reliability and mark a major milestone in Koskenkorva's sustainability journey.