Vodka

The most dominant spirit in Eastern Europe is Vodka and is made by fermenting and distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is either produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, or a variety of other plants. The most used grains for making Vodka are wheat and rye. The best Russian Vodkas are being made from wheat while Poland mainly uses rye mash. Russian distillers look down on using potatoes, but are still very popular with their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillersuse the full range of base ingredients.

It is very important to choose the correct pot or column because they have a fundamental effect on the final character of Vodka. AllVodka comes out of the still as a clear, colorless spirit, but Vodka from a pot still, which is the same sort used for Cognac andScotch whisky, will contain some of the aromatics, congeners, and flavor elements of the crop from which it was produced. Pot stills are considered inefficient which results in the spirit needing to be redistilled to increase the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more efficient column still is usually a neutral, characterless spirit.

Except for a few specific styles, Vodka is not put in wooden casks or aged for an extensive period of time. However, it can beflavored or colored with a wide variety of fruits, herbs, and spices.

Vodka doesn't have a uniform classification. In Poland, Vodkas are graded according to their degree of purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy) and deluxe (luksusowy). In Russia Vodka that is labeled osobaya (special) usually is a superior-quality product that can be exported, while krepkaya (strong) denotes an overproof Vodka of at least 56% ABV.

In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." Because American Vodkais, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price.

The most dominant spirit in Eastern Europe is Vodka and is made by fermenting and distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is either produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, or a variety of other plants. The most used grains for making Vodka are wheat and rye. The best Russian Vodkas are being made from wheat while Poland mainly uses rye mash. Russian distillers look down on using potatoes, but are still very popular with their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillersuse the full range of base ingredients.

It is very important to choose the correct pot or column because they have a fundamental effect on the final character of Vodka. AllVodka comes out of the still as a clear, colorless spirit, but Vodka from a pot still, which is the same sort used for Cognac andScotch whisky, will contain some of the aromatics, congeners, and flavor elements of the crop from which it was produced. Pot stills are considered inefficient which results in the spirit needing to be redistilled to increase the proof of the spirit. Vodka from a more efficient column still is usually a neutral, characterless spirit.

Except for a few specific styles, Vodka is not put in wooden casks or aged for an extensive period of time. However, it can beflavored or colored with a wide variety of fruits, herbs, and spices.

Vodka doesn't have a uniform classification. In Poland, Vodkas are graded according to their degree of purity: standard (zwykly), premium (wyborowy) and deluxe (luksusowy). In Russia Vodka that is labeled osobaya (special) usually is a superior-quality product that can be exported, while krepkaya (strong) denotes an overproof Vodka of at least 56% ABV.

In the United States, domestic Vodkas are defined by U.S. government regulation as "neutral spirits, so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color." Because American Vodkais, by law, neutral in taste, there are only very subtle distinctions between brands. Many drinkers feel that the only real way of differentiating between them is by alcohol content and price.