Eristoff Vodka (air-wrist-off) originated from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and was first created for Prince

Eristavi ''Eristavi'' (; literally, "head of the nation") was a Georgian feudal office, roughly equivalent to the Byzantine ''strategos'' and normally translated into English as "prince" or less commonly as "duke". In the Georgian aristocratic hierarchy, i ...

Duchy of Racha The Duchy of Racha ( ka, რაჭის საერისთავო, ''rach'is saerist'avo'') was an important fiefdom in medieval and early modern Georgia, located in the western province of Racha, in the upper Rioni Valley in the foothills ...

in 1806. Made from 100% grain spirit, Eristoff

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

is triple

distilled Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heating ...

and then charcoal filtered, a technique first established in 18th century

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. The Eristoff logo of a wolf howling at a crescent moon represents the Persian name for Georgia, Gorjestan, meaning ''"land of the wolf"''. Today, Georgia is still home to the

grey wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly ...

, which for hundreds of years has been a part of

Georgian culture The culture of Georgia has evolved over the country's long history, providing it with a unique national identity and a strong literary tradition based on the Georgian language and alphabet. This strong sense of national identity has helped to pre ...

and folklore.

History

The original Georgian version of the name Eristoff or Eristov was

(ერისთავი). The title means ‘head of the nation’ but translates more accurately as ‘head of a military force’. By the 19th century, five noble families each representing a different part of Georgia were using the name Eristhavi. Prince Ivane Eristoff who first created Eristoff vodka in 1806 was from the northwest province of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

. A landmark in the history of the Eristoff family and Eristoff vodka came in the late 19th century when Ivane’s great grandson, Prince Alexander Constantine Eristoff moved from Georgia to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Prince Alexander went on to enjoy a distinguished military career eventually reaching the rank of Colonel in the Imperial Guard. After the Soviet takeover the Eristovs were forced to leave Georgia, as they were likely to be sent to Siberia. One Eristavi from America serves as the new Jersey state treasurer.

Flavours

Eristoff is also available in four flavours. * Eristoff Red: sloe berry flavour (Domi wodka) * Eristoff Black: wild berry flavour * Eristoff Pink: wild strawberry flavour * Eristoff Lime: lime flavour

Land of the Wolf

Reflecting its Georgian origins, "Land of the Wolf" is the new global advertising campaign for Eristoff. The campaign, which includes a 60-second cinema advert, takes as its inspiration the legends and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

which surround the wolf.

Accolades

The Eristoff flagship (unflavored) vodka has performed well in recent

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

competitions. The Beverage Testing Institute, for example, gave Eristoff scores of 90-94 in the years between 2011 and 2014. As of September 2014, Proof66 listed Eristoff among its Top 20 vodkas.

References

External links