A combined British and Ukranian team of scientists have produced a vodka from the grains and waters of Chernobyl’s exclusion zone—Atomik Vodka. Although only one bottle has been produced to date, the team behind the beverage hopes to be able to continue creating it so that funds can be raised for conservation efforts that relate to the 1986 disaster. According to Professor Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth, the drink is safe—“We’ve had two of the best laboratories in the world looking to see if they can find any radioactivity from Chernobyl and they haven’t found any.”
With plans to create the ‘Chernobyl Spirit Company’, who will produce and sell the spirit upon the completion of legal inquiries, those affected by the accident will be supported financially, and money can be put towards wildlife conservation. Smith said, “This might just be the most important bottle of vodka in the world. Not for what it is, but for what it represents. Hopefully, we can give back 75 percent of the profits from the enterprise to the local community to support their economic and social development.”
