🍸 Vodka

Vodka is the clear spirit that sits behind most bars, yet the law defines it differently on each side of the Atlantic. In the EU it is a spirit drink made from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, distilled so that the smell and taste of the raw material are selectively reduced: category 15 of Regulation 2019/787, with a strength from 37.5% ABV, no colouring and no more than 8 g/l of sugar. The raw material is potatoes, cereals or other agricultural products.

The alcohol is obtained by fermentation with yeast and distilled; it may then be distilled again or treated with processing aids, including activated charcoal. Methanol in the alcohol for vodka must be no more than 10 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol, a hundred times less than is allowed for fruit distillates. Flavouring is permitted only with natural substances present in the distillate of the raw material itself, without a predominant taste.

The label has rules too. If the vodka is made from something other than potatoes or cereals alone, “produced from…” with the name of the raw material must appear next to the name. Vodka with a predominant flavour is already flavoured vodka, a separate category 31.

In the USA, the standard 27 CFR § 5.142 defines vodka as neutral spirits to which up to 2 g/l of sugar and up to 1 g/l of citric acid may be added; it is bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) or more. Under the 2022 Law of Ukraine “On Geographical Indications of Spirit Drinks”, vodka is a drink of at least 37.5% vol. made from alcohol obtained by distilling fermented potatoes and/or cereals. The main vodka traditions are Polish and Ukrainian; the EU register has seven vodka names, among them Polska Wódka, Svensk Vodka and Suomalainen Vodka.

Why it matters to you. Look for “produced from…”: without that wording, the vodka is made from potatoes or cereals. A “flavoured” label means different rules and up to 100 g/l of sugar. Charcoal filtering is a permitted method, not a guarantee of quality. WHO: there is no safe dose of alcohol.