We are absolutely delighted to reveal that TheWhiskyBarrel.com is now exclusively stocking Ukrainian ATOMIK - Chernobyl Spirits - with international shipping. Created by Social Enterprise, The Chernobyl Spirits Company (CSC), ATOMIK are unique Apple, Pear and Plum spirits using the fruits grown in the areas of land that was contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. UK and Ukrainian scientists have been studying the region and assessing the impact of radiation on the people, wildlife and land which was contaminated and abandoned. They have now determined that many areas of this land are now safe to grow crops again and consume produce. In fact, the key point they are keen to stress is that produce grown in many of these Chernobyl-affected regions is safe to consume as it is. The result has been a series of superb and unique spirits with a social conscience.
[Images above provided by CSC (clockwise): Seeding by hand on experimental plot 2017; Chernobyl Spirits Company logo; Palinochka Stills; Wolf in the Chernobyl Biosphere Reserve; Experimental ATOMIK 2019 in box.]
The process of distilling the spirits fully ensures their safety by reducing the low levels in the fruit even further to that of 'normal' levels of natural radioactivity found elsewhere. Remember, nothing on Earth is completely free of radioactivity. So, the project to produce high quality, small batch spirts from the region was born - ATOMIK Spirits. There are three varieties of ATOMIK spirit available at present: Apple, Plum and Pear. The Apple spirit was the pioneer of the project and there is a special First Release bottling still available. Each of these are available to buy online now at TWB, subject to stock and availability:
- ATOMIK 1st Batch Apple Spirit 42% 50cl
- ATOMIK Second Batch Apple Spirit 42% 50cl
- ATOMIK Small Batch Pear Spirit 42% 50cl
- ATOMIK Small Batch Plum Spirit 52% 50cl
A Social Enterprise For Ukraine
One of the fundamental aims of The Chernobyl Spirits Company, led by Prof. Jim Smith and Dr. Gennady Laptev, is to support and help rebuild the areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster and more recently, the ongoing war in Ukraine. In both instances, the impact on the people, wildlife and landscape has been profound. The enterprise donates 75% of its profits to the local communities and has so far donated £15,000 to the Ukrainian Refugee Appeal. The overall aim is to assist in restarting economic development and management of the wildlife conservation area. This is where the wild boar on the label comes in. The people and wildlife in the region were seriously affected by the nuclear disaster but the scientists have found a dramatic recovery as nature returned to abandoned areas. ATOMIK's wild boar is a symbol of recovery and resilience in the face of the nuclear disaster and now the Russian aggression against the country. Indeed, the work of the enterprise has further proven that the land can once again be used. And importantly, local communities who are part of the ATOMIK projects, are showing people can live in these once considered off-limits regions.
[Images provided by CSC above (clockwise): ATOMIK Apple Spirit; Przhevalski Horse; Self settler Opachichi in CEZ; Self settler garden Narodychi District; Experimental ATOMIK 2019 in box.]
Having proven that the land can and is still producing, the focus of the Chernobyl Spirits Company is to support the economic and social growth of the area. There is no doubt about the huge task involved in this and with the ongoing conflict across Ukraine, projects such as this are vital. TWB is delighted to be able to play a small part in this.
The Science and The Team
This isn't science for the sake of a label or a marketing exercise. Prof. Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth along with Dr. Gennady Laptev, Head of the Radiometric Laboratory at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, have been studying the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone since not long after the accident in 1986. In fact, Gennady worked at the site in 1986. The distillation of the spirit from the fruits crops is overseen by Kyrylo Korychensky, a geologist and radiochemist with a family history in distillation. Jim's wife, Monica and brother Neil, complete the team's creative and number crunching side of things.
[Images provided by CSC above (left to right): Prof. Jim Smith; Kyrylo Palinochka.]
We are not scientific experts here at TWB so it is wise to quote from ATOMIK's own literature on how this works. If you want more academic insight, we can point you in the right direction!
"[the Chernobyl Spirits Company's] group of Ukrainian and UK scientists has been studying the transfer of radioactivity to crops both in the main Exclusion Zone (CEZ) and in the Narodychi District within the Zone of Obligatory Resettlement, where land can't officially be used for agriculture, but people still live."
"The research shows that in many areas land could now be used to produce crops which are safe to eat. As every chemist knows, distillation of fermented crops leaves many heavier elements in the waste product so the distillate alcohol is much more radioactively "pure" than the original grain. We have used distillation to reduce radioactivity in the crop even further to make a product from Chernobyl which we hope people will want to consume."
The actual impact the Chernobyl disaster has had is still not fully known and in particular the longer-term effects of radiation. But much has been learned since Marie Curies first experiments with Uranium. Although the health impact on humans from Chernobyl has been very serious, scientists have found that the social and mental impacts have been far greater. The economic devastation for the many regions deemed totally unsafe has also been enormous but the Chernobyl Spirits Company aims to break the myths and stigma by highlighting the shoots of recovery that are plain to see and scientifically supported. This is where TWB have been able to step in.
ATOMIK x TWB
We are absolutely delighted to be partnering up with The Chernobyl Spirits Company to stock ATOMIK Spirits on TheWhiskyBarrel.com giving our customers the opportunity to try these wonderful products and help support the communities of Ukraine. There are four products available:
-ATOMIK 1st Batch Apple Spirit 42% 50cl
- ATOMIK Second Batch Apple Spirit 42% 50cl
-ATOMIK Small Batch Pear Spirit 42% 50cl
- ATOMIK Small Batch Plum Spirit 52% 50cl
Available to buy now at TheWhiskyBarrel.com with worldwide shipping, subject to stock and availability.
The events of this year have cast doubt of the possibility of a harvest for 2022. We shall hope for the best for the people, land and environment in the affected regions.
By purchasing this product you are helping us assist the Social Enterprise work of The Chernobyl Spirits Company in supporting the communities hit hardest by the Chernobyl disaster and the NGOs who are supporting those affected by the ongoing aggression in Ukraine. Thank you.
