Lecture 2 - Intro to Spirits and Vodka

Question 1

distillation

Answer 1

• discovered by Jabir ibn Hayyn in 800 AD
• increases alcohol percentage in a product by fermentation
• feed stock that starts with alcohol that the concentration can increase
• driving off alcohol into headspace, encounters cool surface and then condenses

Question 2

reasons to distill

Answer 2

• overcome limitations of pure fermentation, gets 100% pure alcohol
• concentrate alcohol and use it to stabilize wines, they go bad when travelling
• ethanol is a solvent that’s useful in creation of medicine, perfumes
• produces unique alcoholic beverages

Question 3

Russian state monopoly

Answer 3

• vodka was a right of birth if you were nobility
• Tsar > Arch Duke > Duke > Barans
• the amount you were allowed to produce was in proportion to your rank

Question 4

Russian Tsar

Answer 4

• state controlled large number of taverns

- was considered unpatriotic to complain about the negative effect taverns had

Question 5

increasing vodka consumption in russia

Answer 5

• consumption increased as social conditions became more miserable
• serfdem was eliminated and peasants moved to cities
• urbanization caused increased problems
• industrialization

Question 6

vodka and financial problems

Answer 6

• monopolies invite black marketing, smuggling and bootlegging
• treasury officials calculated shortfall of 200 million rubles in 1884
• Tsar took back monopoly in 1904 and 900 million rubles was 1/4 of russian treasury income

Question 7

Russia’s social problem

Answer 7

• institutionalized drinking as binge drinking accompanies religious festivals, saints days and funerals
• in 1863 there were 21794 drunken arrested for 351000 population

Question 8

current vodka consumption in russia

Answer 8

• in 2006 russians consumed 15 liters of pure spirits per person per year
• Putin is aiming for the number to be 8 L and in 2017 it was 10 L
• in 2006 50% of vodka sale/consumption was associated to the black market