Vodka is a distilled spirit made of water and ethanol, it can be found with added
impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by distilling fermented grains, potatoes,
fruits or even just sugar as some modern distillers do. The first vodka production
was in the 8th century, Poland. According to the Gin and Vodka Association, the first
distillery was at Khlynovsk as reported in the Vyatka Chronicle of 1174. Although
this was more a medicine, containing about 10% to 14% ABV as this is the maximum
you can achieve by natural fermentation. The still was not invented until the 8th
century, thus allowing higher ABV content and fewer impurities.
Vodka may be distilled from any starch or sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today
is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas,
rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodka is made from potatoes,
molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, sugar beets and sometimes even byproducts of oil
refining or wood pulp processing. In some Central European countries, such as Poland,
just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and yeast produces some vodka. In the
European Union there are talks about the standardization of vodka, and the Vodka
Belt countries insist that only spirits produced from grains, potato and sugar beet
molasses be allowed to be branded as "vodka", following the traditional methods of
production. In the United States, many types of vodka are made from 95% ethanol made
in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants Archer Daniels Midland and
Midwest Grain Processors. Bottlers purchase the base spirits in bulk, then filter,
dilute, distribute and market the end product under a variety of vodka brand names.
I hope you have a chance to try the different types of vodka and I strongly suggest
Death’s Door vodka. Cheers!
