Polugar No.10 Juniper Vodka

Polugar No. 10 is the closest thing Russia ever had to gin — juniper-infused bread wine, a style the aristocracy drank centuries before London Dry existed. It's built on the same foundation as every Polugar: bread wine, the pot-distilled grain spirit that was Russian vodka until 1895, when Tsar Alexander III ordered every pot still in the country destroyed and restricted distillation to taxed government column stills. Vodka historian Boris Rodionov rediscovered the original recipes in 18th-century documents at the Russian National Museum, and because Russian law still forbids the method, he built Rodionov & Sons in a forest in Poland, reconstructing copper pot stills from period drawings. No. 10 starts from a rye-and-wheat bread wine, triple distilled, with juniper berries added before the final run so the resinous, piney character binds into the spirit; it's clarified with egg whites, filtered through birch charcoal, and bottled at 38.5% ABV. What separates it from gin is the base: where gin sits on neutral spirit, this rests on an oily, bready grain distillate with real weight and sweetness, so the juniper reads warm and forest-floor rather than sharp and botanical — think genever's rustic cousin more than a martini gin. Expect crushed juniper, pine, fresh rye bread, and a hint of citrus peel on the nose, with a rounded, slightly sweet palate and a long, dry, piney finish. Serve it ice cold with game, smoked meats, or dark bread — and try it in a Martinez.

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