Kizlyarka is a grape
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 ...
named after the
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 ...
n city of
Kizlyar, where much of the drink is produced. Kizlyarka's alcohol content is 40-45%.
Production process
Alcohol is aged in barrels for up to one and a half years by distillation of grape
must
Must (from the Latin ''vinum mustum'', "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of t ...
, acquiring a yellow tint over time. Sugar syrup and water are then added, the amount of the latter added determining the alcohol content of the Kizlyarka. Generally, there are three types of Kizlyarka. "Original" is not aged and has an alcohol content of 40%; "traditional" is aged for 7 months and has an alcohol content of 40%; and "aged" is aged for 18 months and has an alcohol content of 45%.
History
Originally brought to Russia from France, it is believed that grape vodka began being produced in the Russian city of Kizlyar in 1657 as a replacement for the low quality wines that were being produced there at the time.
Since 1731, fruit vodka made in Russia is referred to as Kizlyar vodka or Kizlyarka. During the 1800s, one barrel of Kizlyarka was made from ten barrels of crushed, juiced grapes.
According to P. N. Surovikin, the director of the wine and cognac factory, Kizlyarka grew in popularity in the 1810s due to an increased production of grape alcohol, a ban on foreign wines, and the
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
in 1812. Another explanation for its rise in popularity during this time period could be its cheapness at the time compared to similar foreign alcohol.
New Russian taxation laws in 1816 taxed Kizlyarka and bread grape vodka equally, causing the production of Kizlyarka to no longer be profitable. In 1820, Emperor
Alexander I Alexander I may refer to:
* Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC
* Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus
* Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome
* Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...
issued the “Regulations on Vodka Produced from Russian Grape Wines and Grapes in the Astrakhan and Caucasus Provinces”, which implied strict regulations on the mixture of bread vodka and other vodkas. Kizlyarka production in Kizlyar decreased from 235 thousand buckets in 1828 to 120 thousand buckets in 1932. By the 1840s, there was a further decrease in the production of Kizlyarka due to an increase of the price of alcohol.
In 1893, at the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
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, Kizlyarka was awarded a bronze medal and an honorary diploma.
In 1976,
Kizlyar Brandy Factory
Kizlyar Brandy Factory is a Russian producer of alcoholic beverages, located in Kizlyar, Dagestan. It is one of the five largest Russian brandy producers.
History
Russian Empire
Viticulture and winemaking have been the main sectors of th ...
in Kizlyar began mass producing Kizlyarka.
See also
*
List of vodkas
This is a list of brands of vodka. Vodka is a distilled beverage composed primarily of water and ethanol, sometimes with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or s ...
References
Sources
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External links
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{{authority control
Brandies
Dagestan
Russian vodkas