22
Jul
Żytnia Specjalna (Rye Special Vodka) is a grain vodka made from the best quality rye. This vodka has a sweet and herbal aroma, in which you can feel corn and horseradish with a delicate hint of angelica and fennel. It has a distinct, slightly malty, field taste, in which, apart from herbal notes, there is also a sharp peppery finish that pleasantly stimulates the palate. Żytnia Specjalna vodka is ideal for drinking plain or as a base for delicate home-made liqueurs. Rye vodka is actually the archetype of the taste of Polish Vodka, part of the history of our distillery and a living element of Polish tradition. Our Żytnia Specjalna has a slightly roguish retro flair. It will certainly be of interest to those who remember the characteristic flavors of the People’s Republic of Poland with fondness, as well as those who do not remember those times, but for whom Żytnia Specjalna will be an interesting alternative to the expressive taste of the old Żytnia. Moreover, it is available at a very affordable price.
Category
Pure vodkas
Alcohol content
37,5%
Bottle capacities
100 ml, 200 ml, 500 ml, 700 ml
Producer
Warsaw Vodka Factory Koneser
The times of the People’s Republic of Poland brought a return to the spirits monopoly functioning also in the Second Polish Republic. In 1949, the Central Board of the Spirits Industry was established, which in 1959 was replaced by the Union of the Spirits and Yeast Industry. It was then that the “Polmos” brand was created, which quite quickly became a globally recognizable showcase of Polish vodka, as socialist Poland exported large amounts of Polmos products to the West to gain foreign currency. Alcohol consumption in post-war Poland continued to increase. Vodka has become an inseparable element of culture. Virtually everyone drank – from workers to artists and party dignitaries. The alarmingly high consumption of alcohol among the working class was to be weakened by the network of delicatessen establishments developed since the late 1950s, where it was supposed to be impossible to cultivate the tradition of drinking vodka without appetizers. It did not bring much, if only because of the margins in gastronomy. In the early 1960s, it was PLN 1.40 for a vegetarian dish, PLN 3.20 for a meat dish, and PLN 3.30 for a hundred grams of vodka. So it’s not hard to understand why the managers of these establishments turned a blind eye to the prohibitions and were much more willing to serve drinks than hot or cold snacks. The margin was high, the outlays were almost nonexistent, and thus the earnings were much higher. Customers, moreover, circumvented the obligation to order snacks with vodka with the help of waiters and bar or restaurant managers. They would order, let’s say, two hundred vodka, plus, for example, leg jelly, the infamous “binoculars and jellyfish”, and after drinking a few rounds of jelly they would return the jelly to the bar for the next customer who, warned by the waiter, knew that eating her doesn’t belong.
Officially, the state was fighting against excessive alcohol consumption, but on the other hand, it hoped that vodka sales would not fall. The profits brought by the state spirits monopoly were one of the basic budget items in the times of the People’s Republic of Poland. The state budget was to some extent dependent on monopoly outflows. At the end of the 1940s, profits from the alcohol industry reached 15 percent of the entire budget, in the mid-1950s they accounted for about 11 percent. budget, in 1960 – about 9 percent, in 1970 – about 11.5 percent, in 1975 – about 12.5 percent. In 1980, they exceeded 14 percent. Thus, the socialist economy was based to some extent on the sale of vodka. Alcohol consumption in post-war Poland was therefore constantly growing and reached its apogee in the second half of the 1970s. The 1970s also brought a certain change. Due to the rising standard of living, more expensive flavored vodkas, liqueurs and cognacs or wines, including imported ones, and even whiskey imported from the West, began to appear on the tables. Previously, for most Poles, “better” Western alcohols were basically available only in Pewex stores. Despite these changes, pure vodka was still the alcohol most often consumed by Poles, it was still present in Polish everyday life, and at the same time made Poland famous abroad. The crisis of the early 1980s, the introduction of vouchers for vodka in 1980, and martial law resulted in a “moonshine boom”, comparable only to the times of the occupation. In 1981, the Citizens’ Militia recorded 1,435 cases of illegal distilling, a year later it was 10 times as many. The number of moonshine breweries operating in that period was estimated at 150,000. In 1982, a prohibition law was introduced prohibiting the sale of alcohol before 1 p.m. Since then, 1 p.m. has become the most anticipated time of the day.
Secret sale of alcohol on the so-called “metach”, i.e. in private apartments of the more enterprising and moonshine became an even more massive phenomenon, in addition, it strongly limited the income of the state budget. So the authorities began to withdraw from the restrictions. In the epoch of the Polish People’s Republic, the Koneser plant, operating since 1951 under the name Warszawskie Zakłady Przemysłu Spirytusowego, was part of “Polmos” and prospered very rapidly. It produced several types of pure vodka, including the iconic “Czysta with a red card” and over 20 flavored vodkas.
When buying products of the Warsaw Wytwórnia Wódek Koneser, you have the option of making an engraving or drawing on the bottle. The engraving can be your company’s logo, dedication, occasional wishes, e.g. wedding, graphic motif or any advertising text and personal dedication – we are only limited by the imagination of our clients. By placing the company logo on the bottle, we can build business relationships, strengthen brand awareness or simply make a nice gift to colleagues or partners. On the other hand, giving someone close to you a bottle of good Koneser alcohol with a nice dedication and an original drawing engraved on the bottle will give the recipient pleasure, and may mean something more…
We engrave on flat bottles such as: Koneser De Luxe, Winiak Klubowy, Winiak Klubowy Black, Proximus and many other bottles of our pure, flavored and quality vodkas and liqueurs with a capacity of 90 ml to 1000 ml. The expected waiting time for the engraving does not exceed 14 days, but in urgent cases it is also possible to order by express. We encourage you to take advantage of the offer and create your own bottle of your favorite drink from Koneser’s offer.
