🥃 Belvedere

Belvedere is a Polish rye vodka. It is made at the Polmos Żyrardów distillery in the town of Żyrardów, built in 1910. The brand appeared in 1993 and has belonged to the French group LVMH since 2005. The name comes from the Belweder Palace in Warsaw, which is shown on the bottle; the strength is 40% ABV (80 proof).

According to VinePair, the vodka is made from Dankowski rye (also spelled Dankowskie), which is sown in winter, and from purified water from a local Polish well. It contains no additives, and the label carries the mark Polska wódka, which states that the grain and water are Polish. The source does not give the number of distillations, so we do not record it.

The timeline from the same source: 1993, first distillation in Poland; 1996, launch on the American market; 2005, the brand joins LVMH; 2011, partnership with Product Red; 2015, “official vodka” of the film Spectre; 2021, the Organic Infusions range. Different sources describe the terms of the LVMH acquisition differently (from a stake to full ownership), so we do not give the details of the purchase.

The name is partly explained by the Belweder palace, where the President of Poland works, and also by the Italian words bel (“beautiful”) and vedere (“view”). The range also includes flavoured and organic versions.

Why this matters to you. Belvedere is a rye vodka, not a “soft” drink: the classic version is 40% ABV (80 proof). Flavoured and organic versions have a different recipe, so read the full name. If you need vodka made from another grain or from potatoes, check the raw material on the label. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.