Ugly Vodka: Smart50 finalist teams up with Melbourne distillers to turn waste apples into up-scale liquor

Beauty might actually be skin deep. Just ask the creators of Ugly Vodka, who have successfully repurposed 20 tonnes of aesthetically imperfect apples for Australia’s newest liquor brand.

Officially launched on Thursday, Ugly Vodka marks the first collaboration between Underscore, the venture and strategy arm of Smart50 finalists and music festival promoters Untitled Group, and Melbourne alcohol manufacturer 80 Proof Liquor.

Unlike traditional premium vodka brands, which use potatoes as the base component of the distilling process, Ugly Vodka uses alcohol derived from Goulburn Valley apples deemed unsuitable for retail sale.

Untitled Group co-founder Michael Christidis says the concept originated 18 months ago when an 80 Proof Liquor research trip to the agricultural haven exposed the potential of fruit otherwise destined for the scrap heap.

“A lot of those farmers were using their excess or wasted food crop, that they’d usually throw away, to make liquor,” Christidis told SmartCompany.

The manufacturer saw potential in the fruit deemed unsuitable for regular supermarket sale or food production.

To commercialise the product at scale, 80 Proof Liquor turned to Untitled Group, which has long-running ties to the distiller — and now operates some of the largest music festivals in the country, including Beyond The Valley, Pitch, and Ability Fest.

The result was Ugly Vodka, a 50/50 mix of vodka derived from both those excess apples, and liquor sourced from wheat.

The plan is to use Ugly Vodka at bar tents across Untitled Group’s festival events, exposing young, environmentally conscious consumers to a product that directly cuts down on crop wastage.

“While we’re obviously using food waste to create vodka, it can only really make an impact at scale,” Christidis said. “And that’s exactly what Untitled brings to the table through our festivals and events.”

Ugly Vodka’s position in the market differentiates it from other Australian craft spirits like gin and whiskey, both of which have earned international acclaim.

While Christidis says Ugly Vodka is firmly a premium product comparable to traditional vodkas, it is sustainability, not boutique exclusivity, which drives the commercial partnership.

“When food becomes landfill, it releases methane, which is actually much more potent than carbon emissions,” he said.

“That’s the big thing that we’re trying to hit: that resourcefulness around what we’re doing with food waste.

“And if that brings a whole light on the alcohol sector, I’d love to see that this kind of ideology extends on to gins, and whiskies, and wines.”

In addition to Untitled Group’s upcoming festivals, Ugly Vodka is available for sale via webstore, with Christidis claiming punters are keen to sample the tipple before the summer event season gears up.

“We didn’t actually anticipate people purchasing online, we thought they might like to try it [at festivals], but a lot of people are keen to try it before Christmas.”