NEWARK — A couple of New Jersey guys are out to prove a Texas company's boast that it distills its vodka in an "old-fashioned pot still" is a lie.

Marc McBrearty and Paul Cantilina are suing Tito’s Handmade Vodka on behalf of themselves and fellow vodka drinkers, claiming the company actually mass-produces its brand from "neutral grain spirit" pumped into industrial vats at a factory in Austin.

“Defendants acted improperly and deceitfully by manufacturing, distributing, marketing and selling Tito’s Handmade Vodka with false ‘Handmade’ labels and with related misrepresentations claiming that the product was handmade when the product is in fact commercially manufactured in a large factory facility,” the lawsuit says.

The case was originally filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County. Last week, Tito’s lawyers asked that it be moved to U.S. District Court.

The company claims in court papers that since 2012 it has sold more than $5 million worth of vodka to its New Jersey wholesaler.

The lawsuit, one of several filed against the company in courthouses across the country, seeks certification as a class-action on behalf of all Tito’s buyers in New Jersey.

It also asks for a refund for consumers as well as an order prohibiting the company from continuing to make the same marketing claims.

Aaron Van Nostrand, the attorney for Tito’s, declined to comment.

The lawsuit quotes from a 2013 Forbes magazine article on the company, which noted that the company pulled in $86 million from the sale of 850,000 cases of vodka in 2012 alone.

Tito’s website describes how the company makes its vodka.

“It is microdistilled in an old-fashioned pot still, just like fine single malt scotches and high-end French cognacs,” the website reads. “This time-honored method of distillation requires more skill and effort than modern column stills, but it’s well worth it.”

The lawsuit questions that claim.

“This entire manufacturing process of the defendants is devoid of the caring touch of human hands,” the lawsuit adds. “This is a material factor in many individuals’ purchasing decisions, as they believe they are purchasing a product that is made in small amounts that is of inherently superior quality…The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act is designed to protect consumers from these types of false representations and deceptive practices.”

The lawsuit says McBrearty and Cantilina made regular purchases of the vodka in Bergen County and New Hampshire in 2013 and 2014.

"Once the truth is revealed, the Vodka is not worth the purchase price paid,” the lawsuit says.

Thomas Zambito may be reached at tzambito@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomZambito. Find NJ.com on Facebook.