b'S P I R I T SVODKA Which country warrants the accoladetheV O D K A remarkablechanged his name to Smirnoffbarely a brief historycharcoal filtration and the invention of of first producing vodka? The answercontinuousstill. Theescaped with his life, and after exile in tothisquestionisunclear.Theyoung both Paris and America, two distinct generalconsensus,however,isthatstyles of vodka emerged.knowledgeofdistillationtravelledSwede,LarsOlsonSmith,emerged northandtheneastfromSalernoatthistime.Aprodigy,adistillingEasternEuropeanvodkasalways andthusperhapsPolandhastheobsessive and a perfectionist. Beforehad some character ; a taste of the strongest claim. Russia can, however,he was 20he had successfully takenrawmaterialfromwhichtheywere lay claim as the first to export vodkaon the Stockholm establishment withdistilled.Smirnoffsnewsetupin with records showing a shipment tohis Absolut Rent Brannvin. SwedensAmerica produced completely neutral Swedenin1505andPolandsfirstfirstvodkafromacontinuousstillvodkawhichultimatelyfoundhuge exports a century later. was such a triumph that Smith had tosuccessasamixerleapingtofame invest in more distilleries and wheatwith the post-war Moscow Mule. In1546PolishKingJanOlbracht,fields in order to meet demand.exhibitingaremarkabledegreeofOverthelasttwentyyears,and egalitarianism for the time, permittedThe20thcenturywastheeraofespeciallysincethere-privatisation allhissubjectstoproducevodka.statemonopoliesineasternEurope.ofdistilleriesinRussiaandPoland, Sadly,by1572thelandedgentryIn 1917 Russia, the Bolsheviks tookthe global market has expanded. One revokedthis,thusacquiringsoleeverythingintostateownership.hasalsoseenthebirthofpremium rightstobothproductionandsale.This included the distillery which hadandsuperpremiumvodkasfrom The 18th and 19th centuries saw twopreviouslyheldtheRoyalWarrant.traditional countries and others, most big improvements : the discovery ofItsowner,PiotrSmirnovwholaternotably France and the USA.Make mine a vodkaw h a ti sv o d k ac o m m o n l ym a d ef r o m ?The essential guide Strongwheat partsThe grainrye Poland andUsedbarley, oats &canbypotatoes ;sorghumin Sweden and someof choice inasasinglegrainandComparativelynewtoEurope of Russia giving vodkas of delicacyother parts of Russia giving moreimpart a smooth, nutty character tothe 19th century special high-with undertones of aniseed and apungentvodkaswithadistinctthe vodka. starchvarietiesweregrownnear subtle,layered,almosttextured,pepperykickonthefinish;theythe Baltic Coast for the purpose of creaminess. have a subtle nutty middle palatemaking vodkas ; they have a rich, with good body. oily creaminess and are full-bodied.mixed grains molasses maize grapesA blend of different grains whoseObtained from sugar cane or sugarUsedintheUSAandotherWinerectifiedthroughdistillation sumis,intheopinionofthebeet and used in many neutral andcountries, often when the distilleryuntil neutrality is achieved.producer, greater than the total ofinexpensive vodkas. also produces whiskies.the parts.INN EXPRESS - DRINKS PORTFOLIO 2019|20 - VODKA 121'