Meet The People that Make Culinary Solvent

"We're not another big copacker distribution warehouse. Culinary Solvent is pure ethanol, distilled by real people in Maine.  Distilling ethanol in small batches is all we do, and we do it the best." 

Scott and Jessica in Portland Maine 2009

That's us serving vodka cocktail samples in 2009 to guests at Harvest on the Harbor in Portland, Maine.

Scott and Jessica’s Story

We both met in 2000 while pursuing engineering degrees at Rensselaer in upstate NY.  Jessica's freshman dorm room was directly above Scott's, and after a semester we dated throughout the remainder of college.  For Scott’s final semester project in 2004, we hatched a business plan with the goal of turning famous Maine potatoes into a premium vodka.

What began as a college project quickly snowballed and steadily gathered the support of our family and friends.  By 2008 we had established the company and designed our own style of distilling equipment, implemented systems and obtained the required federal and state licenses as an official Distilled Spirits Plant. 

Twenty 2 Vodka by The Northern Maine Distilling Company - Culinary Solvent

By summer of 2009 we fine tuned our recipe with the first bottles shipping that September.  While we begun with the vision for working with potatoes, we finally settled on a recipe of 100% corn.

Along the way, Twenty 2 Vodka collected armfuls of awards for quality, including prestigious double gold in the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as back-to-back platinum medals from the SIP Awards.

Having perfected our vodka recipe to deliver a supremely neutral final product, we asked ourselves, “what’s next?” Redefining our focus as a distiller of pure ethanol, we saw its endless possibilities and applications beyond beverages.  In 2015 we launched CulinarySolvent.com to offer pure food grade ethanol to customers seeking the best ingredients for their next creative project or recipe.

Learn more about how Culinary Solvent is distilled in small 50 gallon batches.  If you are new to the world of nondenatured ethyl alcohol, checkout our Food Grade Ethanol 101 page. 

Galbiati Family 2020 - Culinary Solvent

Today, we are happily married with three wonderful children. As a family, we are proud to harness our award-winning expertise as distillers of distinction, to bring you our remarkable Culinary Solvent.

Scott and Jessica Owners of Northern Maine Distilling Company - Culinary Solvent About Us page

Our Philosophy

Everything we do, we believe in empowering the individual, we believe that knowledge is power, and education is empowerment.

We empower individuals by providing them with safe natural tools capable of creating amazing, highly personalized, recipes or projects.

We distill our 200 proof food grade ethanol in small batches, offer convenient hassle free delivery direct to your home or office, and curate a growing knowledgebase of experts demonstrating recipes and best practices.

Our Mission

To provide people with the tools they need to create amazing things.       

Available if you need us.

We are committed to provide the best experience possible, through all aspects of the purchase process and through to delivery.  There are many moving parts involved with your food grade ethanol delivery and sometimes you just need to speak to a human who can assist.

When you contact us, you are speaking with the team who works at the distillery.

Additional Resources

Learn more about how we distill Culinary Solvent

Learn more about Food Grade Alcohol