Chopin Vodka
Chopin is a Polish vodka brand that is marketed as a "single-ingredient" vodka in the super premium segment. In this context, single ingredient means that the base of the distillate is kept pure and that no additives are added to the end product. Chopin is produced by the formerly state-owned Polmos company in Siedlce , Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek "Polmos" SA .
history
The distillery has existed since 1896. A special feature compared to other Polmos companies is that Polmos Siedlce has its own distillery in Krzesk and is therefore not dependent on buying raw alcohol from suppliers.
When the popularity of vodka declined in favor of western spirits such as whiskey after the fall of the Wall , Polmos Siedlce developed a new marketing concept and in 1993 launched a vodka made from rye under the name Chopin. It was the first Polish vodka to be marketed as a fine brandy. Its packaging design set it apart from the competition: the bottle was narrow and tall and made of frosted glass - apart from a viewing window behind which a portrait of Frédéric Chopin by Eugène Delacroix could be seen. The concept was later copied by other manufacturers, such as the Belvedere by Polmos Zyrardów or the French Gray Goose .
At the instigation of Tadeusz Dorda , a Chopin Vodka was also exported to the United States from 1997 onwards . Dorda found an American partner in Edward Jay Phillips and his Millennium Import Company . The Chopin Vodka for the American market was not made from rye, but from potatoes of the Strobova variety - presumably to differentiate itself from the Belvédère made from rye, which was exported in the same way. Rye vodka was still produced for the European markets.
After the turn of the millennium, Poland privatized the previously state-owned company Polmos Siedlce. Tadeusz Dorda acquired the majority of the shares in 2003.
The US importer, the Millennium Import Company, was bought by Moët Hennessy in 2005 . In 2010 Dorda bought the international distribution rights for the Chopin brand.
Today Chopin Vodka is made in three varieties - from rye, wheat and potatoes.
Awards
Chopin Vodka has won a number of awards including one double gold, three gold and two silver medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition between 2006 and 2011.
Critic Desmond Begg describes the Chopin rye vodka as an excellent, professionally distilled vodka and gives it the top rating (four stars).
Dispute over the name
In 1996 there was an attempt to prohibit the use of the name Chopin. However, this failed due to resistance from the Ministry of Commerce.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael J. Silverstein, Neil Fiske, John Butman: Trading Up: Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods- and How Companies Create Them. ISBN 978-1-4406-3886-2
- ↑ History on polmos-siedlce.com, accessed on July 28, 2015 (English)
- ↑ a b c d e f g Chopin in Desmond Begg: Vodka. The manual for connoisseurs ". Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Cologne 2000, pp. 133f
- ↑ a b Matthias Marzec: Vodka's Greatest Hits. ISBN 978-1-84753-076-9 , p. 37
- ↑ Belvédère in Begg, p. 130
- ↑ a b c Gene Rebeck: Edward Jay Phillips ( Memento of the original from October 2, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Twin Cities Business, July 1, 2009
- ↑ President & CEO . polmos-siedlce.com, accessed July 28, 2015
- ^ A b Barbara Rolek: How Poland's Chopin Vodka Is Made . about.com, accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Spirits Competition Judges ( Memento of the original from May 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Los Angeles International Spirits Competition 2015, accessed July 28, 2015
