[Moved from]: In which countries is Polish vodka very popular?
I know for sure in The UK,The Netherlands,Brazil and Australia they love Polish vodka especially Żubrówka. Are there any countries you guys have been to where they love Polish vodka? Thank you.
I live in the USA, and I've seen many people buy Polish vodka. All of my grandparents were born in Poland, but it seems that they preferred beer. My parents also preferred beer. I myself can't drink vodka because it makes me act "crazy" (but maybe deep down inside I am).
Poland is the birthplace of vodka (and not Russia as W.V. Pokhlyobkin desperately tried to prove). The word 'vodka' was recorded for the first time in 1405 in "Akta Grodzkie" - the court documents from the Voivodship of Sandomierz in Poland. Moreover, for decades, Poland was synonymous with the best vodkas that had higher quality than the Russian and Swedish vodkas.
"The three most astonishing things in the past half-century were Blues, Cubism and...Polish Vodka." (Pablo Picasso) "After research, I concluded that Poland is the motherland of vodka and authenticity is critical to marketing and brand strategy." (Terry Olson, Michigan-based entrepreneur and producer of 'Zim's Vodka')
What is the difference between vodka and neutral spirit other than concentration? Both start off exactly the same, and one is distilled further to achieve a higher alcohol concentration. Am I missing any part of the equation?
Personally, I love and appreciate Polish potato vodka (eg. Luksusowa). I don't mind grain vodkas, but simply prefer the potato based ones.
Basically vodka is neutral spirit diluted with water. Flavour differences come from the substance from which it was distilled (potatoes, grain, fruit, etc.) and obviously any added flavouring. Charcoal filtering removes the rough edges found in cheaper vodkas.
Both Polish and Russian "soldiers" are very good at the game of drinking vodka. High-end Polish vodka is great, but the cheapest options... stay away. I prefer potato vodka to rye vodka.
Wow! I have always admired people who are able to notice such differences. My taste buds are quite basic when it comes to alcohol. I would never make a decent wine taster, for example.