Poland, Vodka, and the EU
Poland's vodka industry seeks narrow definitions for the word vodka.
EU nations dispute what alcoholic beverages can - and cannot - be sold as vodka. Poland's national vodka tradition holds its ground.
Poland has a long history of vodka production. It’s no wonder this Northeastern European country is for a strict definition of vodka – the clear national beverage has roots in the Middle Ages, and the distillation of vodka has been a point of Polish pride for centuries.
While Poland has vodka-producing allies in this dispute (namely Finland and Sweden), other EU member countries fear that stricter definitions may hamper their own vodka industries. Countries like Hungary and the UK distill vodka from other ingredients, like sugar beet molasses or grapes. The clear beverages that results are currently permitted to be labeled as vodka. But are they truly vodka? Finland, Poland, and Sweden say that only grain- or potato-based alcoholic beverages may be called vodka.
Both the Gin and Vodka Association and the European Vodka Alliance seem to accept the idea that vodka can be made from a wide range of ingredients, not only grain or potatoes. But just as pure, crystal clear vodka the standard of today’s premium vodkas, so should the vodka tradition remain unsullied by those making clear spirits from “inferior” ingredients, according to those countries with strong vodka traditions.
After all, Poland’s centuries’ long vodka tradition means that several internationally-known, highly popular, and typically Polish vodkas are produced in the country of vodka’s birth. For example, the famous zubrowka vodka, or bison grass vodka, is distilled from grass that grows in Bialoweza Forest in Poland. Chopin vodka is premium potato vodka that takes its name from the Polish composer. These vodkas are particularly indicative of the national pride Poland has in its vodka industry. Vodkas that acquire their name from a national identity suggest authenticity – and this, in turn, is good for marketing.
If all vodka-like products are able to be slapped with a vodka label, this will decrease “authentic” vodka producers’ ability to market a product that vodka drinkers seek out. For those who use vodka as a base for mixed drinks, any old vodka product may do. But if the recipe calls for vodka, and sugar beet- and fruit-based alcoholic beverages are no longer considered to be vodka, then the grain- and potato-based vodka producers will have fewer competitors.
Whether or Poland, Sweden, and Finland get their wish, they can probably rest assured that the vodka connoisseurs of the world will favor their products over those made in countries not traditionally associated with vodka production. Poland has been associated with vodka production for centuries. A real vodka lover would be just as likely to purchase a vodka made in the UK or Spain as a real whiskey lover would be to seek out whiskey produced in Eastern Europe.
