Finlandia Vodka bottle in front of reindeer; Lapponia Safaris, Kemi, Finland RELATED LINKS Back to FINE LIVING IQ: Cocktails

The origins of Vodka are shrouded in mystery. Many nations claim to be the birthplace to this tasteless and odorless spirit. Poland and Russia are the leading contenders for this right, but that's the old world — vodka is now made in countries ranging from Jamaica to Ireland. The processing of the glacial Scandinavian waters is making vodka for the new millennium, and it goes by the name of Finlandia.

• To ensure quality, Finlandia Vodka Worldwide owns up to 2,000 acres of unspoiled wilderness surrounding its glacial water source.
  
• As one of the few remaining natural sources of pure water on the planet, this area is carefully guarded.
  
• The enzymes in the distilled six-row barley and the purity of the natural spring water combine to make Finlandia distinctly crisp.
  
• Great vodka begins with crisp, pure water.
  
• Most of today's vodkas are distilled from grain, as opposed to potato.
  
• Distillation begins with fermentation, which creates the alcohol.
  
• Heat distillation removes the water and concentrates the alcohol, creating a spirit.
  
• Vodka is called a "white good," which means it has not been aged in a barrel.
  
• Stolichnaya is considered the classic Russian vodka. It is distilled from winter wheat and then is carefully filtered through both quartz and activated charcoal, then through quartz again.
  
• Absolut brand vodka was introduced in 1879 as "absolutely pure vodka," using a new distillation method called rectification, which removes unwanted by-products.
  
• Smirnoff, the American-made vodka, undergoes 47 separate stations of quality control before bottling.
  
• Grey Goose is distilled and bottled in small batches that begin in copper pots. The distilled grains are then blended with naturally purified water through Champagne limestone.
  
• Remember, wherever you are in the world, drink responsibly and don't drive under the influence of alcohol!

Resources

Finlandia Vodka Worldwide, Ltd
Helsinki, Finland
Ph: + 358 9 133 2990
www.finlandia-vodka.com

Wine & Spirits magazine
New York, N.Y.
212-695-4660
www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com

American Bar
Kalevankatu 5
00100 Helsinki, Finland
Ph: + 358 9 43360
3350010@sok.fi, www.ravintolaopas.net/americanbar

Lapponia Safaris
Torikatu 2
94100 Kemi, Finland
Ph: + 358 (0)16 223 320
lapponiasafaris@lapponiasafaris.com, www.lapponiasafaris.com

SnowCastle
Kemi, Finland
www.laplandfinland.com
The spectacular SnowCastle of Kemi, located near the Gulf of Bothnia, is rebuilt every winter from snow and ice.

Finnair
New York, N.Y.
800-950-5000 (reservations in North America)
800-950-3387 (Finnair Plus Service Center)
800-585-8940 (Finnair Plus Line)
www.finnair.com

A History of Vodka by William Pokhlebkin

IVodka.com
www.ivodka.com

Vodka Musuem
www.vodkamuseum.ru

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