It used to be that vodka, the fierce clean alcohol, was thought of
as a drink so rough it would start with an innocent tingle in the back
of the throat and quickly build into a bitter, slow-burning inferno deep
down in the belly. This international image of a cheap, gut-burning and
brain-blasting booze, however, is long out of day, as today’s vodka
producers in Poland and other countries bring the palate a smooth and
sophisticated reinvention of the strong stuff. These days, vodka is
heralding a new realm of luxury as consumers and connoisseurs all around
the world are beginning to savor the unique quality, character and flavor of the distinctive Polish drink.

Polish or Russian?

Vodka isn’t only embedded in Polish national identity because some countrymen like to swill a
quick shot morning, noon and night, but because its origins are rooted
in Poland. Yes, that’s right: Poland is the birthplace of vodka. Or so
the Poles say. Despite Poland and Russia claiming the ‘invention’ of the
spirit for themselves, historically, the genesis of the colorless
liquor made from various grains such as barley, rye, or corn, is
shrouded in mystery.

What is known is that the pure version of the clean spirit, containing 100% alcohol, made its
way from the Arabs or the Italians (who called it aqua vitae, ‘the water
of life’) around the 9th century. It was credited at the
time with powerful medical assets, being an effective antiseptic and
trusty anesthetic potion, as well as a reliable fluid for cleaning
cutlery and jewellery and curing foot odor. With the advent of
distilling technology, sometime in the beginning of the 15th
century, aqua vitae was purified to create a softer version suitable
for consumption. The problem is that the Poles lay claim to first using
the distilling process, while the Russians believe it was their big
eureka-idea to take the edge off the vile spirit. Historians have no
hard evidence to prove either country right or wrong, so for now, the
truth is still out there. 

In Poland, the first viable record of vodka appeared in 1405,
in the small royal town of Sandomierz. Grain-based vodka production
began in small quantities on a city-by-city basis, but by the end of the
16th century, the nation’s taste for the spirit was
well-whetted. With the heartfelt endorsement of King Jan Olbrach, the
distillery process started up on a vast scale, especially in and around
the southern Polish city of Kraków and the Silesian town of Poznań,
which had a total of 498 functioning ‘spirit boilers’ by 1580. Vodka
production soon became a high-profit venture which not only led to the
country’s first taxing fees ‘for cooking spirits in the villages’ but
also large-scale exports to Denmark, Germany, England, Austria, Hungary,
Ukraine and the Netherlands.

Poland continued to be swept by vodka-fever in the following centuries as technological
advances allowed the creation of higher purity and higher alcohol
content through multiple distillations, and potatoes superseded grains
like rye , making vodka production even more profitable. The
Soviet-inflicted prohibition-like period of the late-20th
century led to the creations of several moonshine alcohols, but vodka
remained a national staple. Today, vodka still reigns supreme on the
local liquor landscape, accounting for over 90% of the spirits market
consumption. Aside from Russians and other Central European countries, Poles knock back the most vodka in the world: over 260 million liters each year. In a nation of 38 million, that’s a little over 10 liters per person of legal age.

Booze Battle

Vodka was late in leaving Eastern Europe and Northern Europe: the vodka phenomenon spread like wildfire
across the Western world, first entering the massive American market in
the 1940s, through the astute marketing of the once Russian, now
British-owned Smirnoff brand. As a colorless and odorless drink
(advertised by Smirnoff as ‘White Whiskey – No taste. No smell’), vodka
first became popular for its neutral flavor and good mixer properties,
playing well with virtually every available alcohol and juice. By the
60s and 70s the Western vodka-drinking culture, led by the
ever-increasing cocktail craze, fueled the demand for affordable,
medium- to low-quality, vodka brands.

Jumping on the lucrative bandwagon, liquor producing companies across Europe
began flooding the market with new varieties of tasteless, mediocre
vodkas. This commercialization of the spirit inevitably led to the
so-called ‘European Vodka Wars’ of 2006, in which traditional
vodka-making countries – such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Finland,
Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Estonia - requested that the European
Union to make a clear-cut definition of which hard liquors could
actually be called ‘vodka’. These ‘vodka purist’ nations wanted a
definition that would limit the ‘vodka’ brand to an ‘alcoholic beverage
derived from cereals or potatoes’, while the ‘vodka liberalizers’ (a
group that included France, Austria, Great Britain and the Netherlands)
fought for a more liberal definition, which took in ingredients such as
beets, grapes, citrus fruits and molasses. A serious blow to vodka
purists, the EU ruling stated that vodka can be made from any ingredient, as long as the bottle clearly labels all elements used.

Pure and Powerful

Not to be left behind or threatened by the ever-growing vodka market, established Polish
favourites such as Belvedere, Chopin and Wyborowa made the conscious
decision to redefine their local and international images as authentic,
elegant and luxurious brands with an age-old heritage; their aim was to
not be confused with brands they thought of as cheap vodka imitators –
they determined to be seen as the ‘real thing’. Entering the American
market in 1996, Millenium Import LLC introduced Belvedere rye
vodka as a premium luxury product (costing twice as much as other
upmarket brands), which created a new standard of sophistication and
excellence in the luxury vodka segment. The next year, Belvedere’s
success was followed by the introduction of Polmos Siedlce’s
potato-based Chopin vodka, that captured the essence and spirit
of renowned Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Both Belvedere and Chopin
vodkas are distilled four times to remove all impurities and are praised
for their complex taste and texture, individual smoothness and sleek,
frosted packaging. By showing the spirit’s stylish and swankier side,
these brands not only spearheaded the premium vodka category (the
fastest growing segment of the hard liquor market), but also
reestablished the prestige of Polish vodkas.

Another Polish brand focused on changing the ‘lowbrow’ reputation of Polish
vodkas is Wyborowa (literally ‘exquisite’), a pure single-ingredient
vodka, distilled from the rye grain grown in the small Polish village of
Turew. The brand’s latest Europe-wide advertisement campaign highlights
the spirit’s Polish origins, declaring that “the facts are incontrovertible. The authentic vodka comes from Poland and is called Wodka. There is no V in Wodka. May the truth preWail!”. The
advertisements’ cheeky, finger-pointing style compliments the brand’s
playful taste profile, one that is well-rounded but still extremely
smooth, strong but not overpowering. Wyborowa is also leading the
rapidly expanding flavored vodka segments, turning out upscale
infusions boasting flavors such as pineapple, rose, almond, peach,
orange and apple. Other brands meeting the highest super-premium standards include the quadruple distilled Sobieski Vodka (named after Polish King Jan III Sobieksi), the cereal-based Królewska Vodka (produced by hulking distillers, Polmos Zielona Gora) and the luxury potato-based Luksusowa Vodka.

Neat or Naughty

Traditionally, the most enjoyable way to drink vodka is neat and chilled, chasing the shot with sour
cucumbers, salty herring, or pickled mushrooms. It can be both a potent
aperitif and a helpful digestive, or just a soul-warming drink when the
cold is biting and the days are long. But in the past two decades, the
changing tastes and preferences of Polish consumers – triggered by the
bar and cocktail culture increasingly attracting a younger, female
audience - have pushed Polish producers to tone down the ‘hard liquor’
image by introducing new concepts such as fruit-flavored vodkas and
pre-mixed drinks such as Bacardi Breezer and Smirnoff Ice. As cocktail
artistry and culture become more and more mainstream in Poland’s urban
centers, bar and restaurant owners throughout the country are eager to
cash in on the trend by experimenting with creative vodka-based
concoctions. But, with the vodka competition heating up and modern
distilling methods developing and improving both the quality and style
of vodkas, Polish producers are hard-pressed to show new ways of
connecting with the ever-widening crowds of vodka enthusiast and
connoisseurs.

Familiarize yourself with some of Poland’s best vodkas, all of which are available in the UK.
Grab a Pole and ask them about the role of vodka at Polish weddings:
it’s quite an education!

Sobieski

A highbrow brand catering to mainstream drinkers, Sobieski vodka blends
authenticity with modernity and proves that vodka can indeed be sophisticated.
This delicate vodka is made from golden Dankowski rye grains in the Mazowse
fields located around the central part of Poland. As are most Polish vodkas,
it’s best consumed straight out of the freezer, but its softness and subtlety
is an ideal cocktail base for drinkers with a more sensitive palate.

Goldwasser

This stalwart of the vodka community, distilled in the Baltic seaside city of Gdańsk
since the 16th century, raises eyebrows at first sight, as
twenty-three carat gold flakes float inside the potent liquor. The spirit was
created by Dutch immigrant Ambrose Vermollen by combining over twenty herbs and
roots (including cinnamon, lavender, cardamom and thyme) and laced it with
golden lucky-charm leaves. Enjoy this elixir neat, or on the rocks.

Żubrówka

Arguably Poland’s most-loved and most flavourful vodka brand, Żubrówka is a genuine
rye-based vodka specialty, infused with a blade of Bison Grass grown in the
country’s eastern Białowieża Forest. Consumed straight up, its delicate aroma
and herbal flavor warms the cockles of the heart on a grey, dull day. A tongue
that would like to venture into a variety can also mix one part Żubrówka and
two parts ice-cold apple juice to create ‘Tatanka’ (apple pie), a deceptively
strong concoction.

Wyborowa

Ordering up a shot of Wyborowa vodka (‘exquisite’ vodka) is a sure-fire way to impress
the pants off that certain Polish someone or seal the deal with an important
business partner. Clear as a mountain stream, this quadruple distilled tipple
has an exceptionally fresh and smooth taste that reflects its well-honed
200-year-old heritage. Wyborowa is relished in communion with cocktails like
the Cosmopolitan, Long Island Ice Tea, Black Russian, Screwdriver and a variety
of martinis.