Polugar is made to a traditional recipe for Russian vodka (though it is now made in Poland), using rye and wheat which is triple distilled in copper pot stills. For Polugar No.4, the distillers flavor the spirit with honey and allspice for a sweet and subtly spicy flavor profile. The spirit was once referred to as "breadwine", as it does feature plenty of notes reminiscent of freshly baked bread.Triple distillation of a home brew of rye and wheat in a copper pot still to which allspice and hot peppers are added before the third distillation. As specified by the aristocratic recipe of the 19th century, the liquid is carefully purified using birch wood charcoal with a final addition of a dose of honey.Nose: Sophisticated, delicate, sweet aroma of aromatic pepper and meadow honey, white flower notes, spices, white pepper, bay leaf, pickling brine, peaches, apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and warm bread.Palate: Tender, embracing, spiced, refined, with pleasant hotness. Honey, rum, sweet sugar syrup, spice, dill, ginger, sweets and rye bread. Enticing mint and fine notes of pickle.Finish: Rounded, mild and sweet with honey, spice, ginger, nutmeg and rye bread crust.Polugar is a more ancient type of spirit. It is quite different from modern vodka, rather more akin to legendary Russian bread wine, the noble father of vodka. It is said that the first Moscow tavern allowed to serve distilled liquor in Russia was exclusively reserved for the oprichniki, Ivan the Terrible’s secret police. Throughout Russian history, vodka was similar to whiskey; the smell and flavor reminiscent of freshly baked bread, heavily exhibiting the grains used to make it, and was known as bread wine.In 1895 Tsar Alexander III decreed to have all pot stills in Russia broken down. Subsequently, distillation processes were restricted to government licensed and taxed column stills, establishing the method for producing the crystalline, less nuanced spirit that we now know as vodka today.The Rodionov family spearheaded a movement to restore the traditional grain spirits enjoyed during the golden age of Russia. Boris Rodionov, a renowned academic and vodka historian, discovered the original recipe for the national bread wine spirit. With legislation forbidding the Polugar style of grain distillation in Russia, the Rodionov family restored an old distillery tucked away in a forest in Poland to reestablish the glory of the legendary spirit.Each Polugar selection is produced in accordance with an authentic recipe from the 18th century, using carefully selected grains and naturally pure water.Winter warming selection. Refined accompaniment to gourmet Eastern European dishes and full-flavored appetizers. The superb alcohol spice complements baked white fish, mashed potatoes, crab cakes, seafood soups, and roasted leg of lamb.Recommended as base spirit in Apple Martinis.
