Russia and Poland will always argue about who made the first vodka, etc, but the only thing we really know is that the first recorded entry of a grain distilled spirit comes from Poland in 1405. However we do know that by the mid 1500s Russia was also distilling grain spirits. It’s generally accepted that this occurrence came after Russian delegates visited Italy and were shown the method of making aqua vitae.

From here Russia and Poland have fairly similar paths in terms of vodka production. Initially the distillate was flavoured and used as medicine, nonetheless it was only a matter of time for this spirit to be used in a somewhat more social setting.

The only difference in the tow nations timeline lie in the fact that in Russia by 1474, Ivan the Terrible had monopolised vodka production, whereas in Poland, King Olbrecht declared that all Poles could distil.

Even though there were differences in production, both countries were exporting their vodkas by the end of the 15^th century.

By the 17^th century both countries had refined their process by distilling 3 or 4 times, and in Poland, charcoal was used to filter the water. This demonstrated the fact that the search for purer vodka had started.

Further improvements were again found during the 18^th century when charcoal filtration was used on the final product, helping to create a more refined finish. However at the start of the 19^th century the new continuous still was created which allowed the producers more control during the process of distillation.

When the Russians had started to export their vodka, much had been to Scandinavia, and in particular Sweden. By 1756 the Swedes had 180,000 stills, however it wasn’t until 1879 that Lars Olsson Smith famous brand Absolut Pure Vodka first hit the shelves. At this point, Sweden and Eastern Europe really had a hold on the vodka producing market.

As we move into the late 19^th century, there are many advances in technology that aid the production of vodka. Then after World War II we start to see vodka in the western world. After the Bolshevik revolution, a certain Vladimir Smirnoff fled to the USA and after years of hard work with many different people, finally found vodka, or white whisk was it was dubbed, start to take off.

After prohibition and World War II many Americans taste in sprits had changed, with preferences to lighter rum, gin, and scotch opposed to bourbon, and vodka fitted in with this ideology.

However it wasn’t until the 1980s with the launch of Absolut in USA that branded itself as a modern pure vodka, that vodka became a classy spirit enjoyed by the masses.

From here the market for vodka has moved towards the premium and super premium market, people always striving for the best vodka they can get, making vodka production one of the most lucrative markets today.

Many people ask what vodka is made out of and why, etc, I know I have been asked on numerous occasion anyway. And the EU states that :

Vodka must be distilled to a minimum strength of 96% abv, after which the rectified alcohol can be filtered so that the characteristics that are sensed are selectively reduced.

So as long as you can take a fermentable ingredient and distil it to 96%abv you can make vodka out of it. What ingredient is used generally depends on where you are as its historically been the most abundant cereal crop that is distilled. For instance, in Russia most vodka is wheat based, whereas Polish tend to be rye.

But then it is also possible for other to exist such as Ciroc, a vodka from France made by fermenting and distilling grapes.

So really, as long as it ferments, and you can distil it to 96%abv, you can make vodka out of it!