Posted on 04/18/2006 10:44:07 AM PDT by Lukasz
The first one to feel the bite of pure alcohol on his tongue was probably an Arab alchemist of the eighth century, living in the area of present-day Morocco. Vodka, which in some of its forms comes very close to being an almost purely alcoholic brew, appeared in Europe later – we know that alcohol was being distilled from wine in Italy by the 11th century.
It was called spiritus vini or "spirit of wine." The 13th-century alchemist Arnaud de Villeneuve of Montpelier wrote that it "strengthens the body and lengthens life." Because of this belief in the blessings of alcohol, it was also known as aqua vitae or "water of life."
Deep secrecy surrounded the process of distillation, which required special equipment. The secret was known only to masters of alchemy, who bequeathed their knowledge to their successors, the pharmacists. The famous school of medicine in Salerno used large amounts of this miraculous medication for all kinds of ailments in the 12th century. The Franciscan philosopher and theologian Raimundus Lullus called it ultima consolatio corporus humani (the greatest comfort for the human body).
Spirits reached Poland from Italy or Germany in the 1620s. From there the route led on to Ruthenia and Bohemia. In Poland, production developed at the end of that century and grew relatively slowly up to the early 1800s, due to the primitive state of the technology and to the specific circumstances of the market for its base ingredients. Increasing consumption of vodka was boosted by the invention of ever-better tasting compositions and more varieties of the liquor. Different customs associated with drinking took root.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the distilling industry appeared alongside home stills and small-scale enterprises. The large distilleries specialized in purifying spirits and producing drinks made according to their own recipes. Some of the distilleries operating in Poland today are the direct heirs to these traditions.
How Polish production developed
Large-scale vodka production began in Poland at the end of the 16th century. Distilling developed first in Krakow, from where spirits were exported to Silesia before 1550. Silesian cities also bought vodka from Poznan, a town which in 1580 had 498 working "spirits boilers." Soon both these places were outpaced by Gdansk, Poland's largest producer of vodka before the country was partitioned in 1772.
The first distillery in Gdansk was opened by men from the Netherlands. One of them, Ambrosius Vermoellen of Lier, manufactured the known and valued liqueur named Der Lachs (“Salmon”); his sons Arendt and Peter continued that tradition. In the early 17th century, distilling grew to such an extent in Gdansk that there was a local shortage of firewood and the price of the fuel jumped. In 1620 the city authorities began to grant concessions for vodka distillation; 68 producers received and paid for the privilege, and many others functioned illegally.
"Spirits boilers" also appeared more and more often in villages and on the agricultural estates of noblemen. In the county of Leczyca, for example, there were 151 of them in 1578. It is difficult to estimate the scale of production at the end of the 16th century but it must have been quite a prospering industry, since proclamations from 1564, 1565 and 1577 imposed fees "for cooking spirits in the villages" and "for running an inn with spirits." It was the first form of excise on Polish soil.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Polish vodka reached the Netherlands, Denmark, England, Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Moldavia, Ukraine and the Black Sea shore. This export trade was very important economically, as can be seen in the Polish reaction when the prince of Moldavia banned the import of Polish vodka in 1779: the rulers of Poland sought and obtained diplomatic intervention from Turkey, France and Russia.
The early 19th century was a turning point in alcohol production in Poland. Crucial to this were progress in the technology and changes in the base ingredients. Potatoes replaced grain, and profitability leaped: a gallon of vodka cost the equivalent of more than two bushels of rye in 1704, but by 1844 a bushel of rye could buy 2.5 gallons of it. Poland was swept by "distilling fever."
According to official figures, no doubt underestimated, in 1836 there were 4,981 distilleries operating in Galicia, the Austrian sector of partitioned Poland, producing the equivalent of 600,000 hectoliters (almost 16,000 U.S. gallons) of pure spirits. In 1844, the Russian sector, known as the Kingdom of Poland, had 2,094 distilleries producing 460,000 hectoliters of spirits. Inn concessions made distilling the economic foundation for many estates.
The great increase in consumption of vodka and the ensuing effects on social behavior and customs brought a determined response from the partitioning powers in the form of excise taxes. In the course of 30 years the number of distilleries in Great Poland, in the Prussian sector of Poland, fell from 1,173 to 285. By 1884 there were only 516 in Galicia.
The Russian czar, disturbed by the ill health of army recruits, introduced restrictions in the Kingdom of Poland: In addition to a high excise, alcohol sales concessions were established, drinks stronger than 46% alcohol were outlawed, inn opening hours were limited, and serving alcohol to inebriated persons was prohibited. These actions led to a reduction in the number of distilleries in the Kingdom of Poland to 569 in 1875. The potato blight which afflicted Europe in 1843-1851 also contributed to the fall in production.
One effect of administratively imposed obstacles and heavy taxation was . . . the birth of the Polish distilling industry! The hard economic facts of life meant that the small, technologically backward distilleries on the farm estates had to close down. The only survivors were the large modern concerns established exclusively to produce spirits.
In 1918-1938 there was a further decline in Polish distilling. In 1910, about 2,500 distilleries operated in the area which Poland was to occupy after World War I. Together they produced about 2.6 million hectoliters of spirits annually. In the best years between the wars, the number of distilleries did not exceed 1,486, with annual production of 860,000 hectoliters. Those are the offici
Sounds like a typical Chicago name though. :)
Yech. I have yet to taste a French Gin that has a particularly good flavor in either dry or botanical styles. The neutral spirit is usually of good quality in French gin, but the flavor is typically off and of mediocre character.
Depending on your particular style preferences, high-end UK and Dutch gins pretty much lock up the market in the quality department. But if the French come out with something new in gin, I will always buy a bottle to check it out.
perhaps you can advise if my comment at 23 is accurate from the standpoint of a Dutch expert? LOL
I am always willing to be the guinee pig for testing some new vodke/gin/rum/tequilla/whiskey/burboun/etc...
Black, white, red or brown...I am an equal opportunity drinker!
Try Tito's Vodka made in Austin Texas...that's right TEXAS VODKA! Buy it at Trader Joes for about $18. Delish!
Bought my first bottle last week.
Prefer the blend to the single malt.
This from a loyal Jameson man.
Thanks for that post Allegra, I never would have guessed that happens.
2 weeks?
Where are you headed this time?
The Dutch are strongly biased toward "botanical" styles that are light on the juniper and strong on other natural ingredients, and they do use high-quality neutral spirits as a base (vodka is made from the same, but with much more subtle flavoring added). For this reason, high-quality dutch gins tend to be both rich in flavor and very smooth (Van Gogh Gin is a canonical example of the Dutch style you can get in the US) since the juniper berries can impart quite a bit of harshness. The style of gin known as "Genever" found in places like Belgium and Germany, is the polar opposite of the popular Dutch style and sufficiently harsh that few people actually drink it.
UK gins have a number of distinct and refined sub-styles, most famously London Dry. These have more juniper and less other stuff, giving them that distinctive sharp clean taste in better variants. I tend to drink a lot of the London Dry myself because the spirit tends to be pretty smooth despite the juniper bite. The brits also make some somewhat popular sweet gin styles that I find repulsive.
A dutch acquaintance of my youth used to disparage the American gins.
While I have tried many American gins, the quality is frankly inferior to the imports for the money. The severe restrictions on owning and operating a distillery in the US make it very difficult to break into an established market already dominated by the Europeans.
I personally tend to drink Old Raj (London Dry), Van Gogh (Dutch), or Hendrick's (Scottish botanical) depending on the mood -- never mixed, always neat. It is a lot easier to find good gin in the US than it used to be even six or seven years ago.
I really do like Grey Goose but it's pricey and I like bargains. I did find a very good Canadian Vodka that goes for about 21 dollars a bottle. It's called "Pearl".
However, I generally like Texans way more than I do Canadians so I'll be searching for Tito's.
I found out that Jameson's is owned by a French company. I really dig Jameson's but I have been buying Powers lately.
I will have to pick up a bottle of MC Irish Whiskey.
You do realize that the Austrian Empire encluded Galicia (Galis, Haliz...) after 1772 and only relinquished it in 1919.
Now I do. Thanks.
Sorry, but that's not true. Some of the best wodka is made from grain. Wyborowa is grain. I'm pretty sure Belvedere is too.
In fact, I prefer grain vodka to potato vodka. It's drier.
Found the above on Google.
Michael Collins Blend is super smooth. The single malt Michael Collins taste like scotch.
My friend in Ireland is pissed that MC is available in the US while being unavailable in Ireland at this time.
I will have to get a bottle of each and have a taste test. If it takes me all night, I will decide which i like better!!
I am a team player!
Very interesting. Thanks for the ping.
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