Editing Vodka (section)

==Production==
[[Image:UkrainianVodkaStill.jpg|thumb|230px|An old Ukrainian vodka still]]
[[Image:Vodka bottling machine.jpg|thumb|230px|Vodka bottling machine, Shatskaya Vodka ([[Shatsk, Russia]]) ]]
Vodka may be distilled from any [[starch]]- or [[sugar]]-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from [[Cereal|grains]] such as [[sorghum]], [[maize|corn]], [[rye]], or [[wheat]]. Among grain vodkas, rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from [[potato]]es, [[molasses]], [[soybean]]s, [[grape]]s, [[rice]], [[sugar beet]]s and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining<ref name=ermochkine>Ermochkine, Nicholas and Iglikowski, Peter (2003). ''40 degrees east : an anatomy of vodka'', Nova Publishers, p. 65, {{ISBN|1-59033-594-5}}.</ref> or wood pulp processing. In some Central European countries, such as Poland, some vodka is produced by just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and yeast. In the [[European Union]], there are talks about the standardization of vodka, and the [[Vodka Belt]] countries insist that only spirits produced from grains, potato, and sugar beet molasses be allowed to be branded as "vodka", following the traditional methods of production.<ref name="reuters">{{cite web | access-date=10 March 2007 | archive-date=10 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310191503/http://www.flexnews.com/pages/5412/European_Union/Spirits/eu_farm_chief_warns_legal_action_vodka_row.html | url=http://www.flexnews.com/pages/5412/European_Union/Spirits/eu_farm_chief_warns_legal_action_vodka_row.html | title=EU Farm Chief Warns of Legal Action in Vodka Row | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=stubb>[[Alexander Stubb]], [http://www.alexstubb.com/artikkelit/bw_vodka.pdf The European Vodka Wars] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215005220/http://www.alexstubb.com/artikkelit/bw_vodka.pdf |date=15 February 2012 }}, a December 2006 ''[[Blue Wings (magazine)|Blue Wings]]'' article</ref>

In the United States, many vodkas are made from 95% pure [[grain alcohol]] produced in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants [[Archer Daniels Midland]], Grain Processing Corporation,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grainprocessing.com/alcohol/|title=Ethyl Alcohol – Alcohol – Markets|website=www.grainprocessing.com}}</ref> and Midwest Grain Products (MGP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mgpingredients.com/product-list/|title=Product – MGP|website=www.mgpingredients.com}}</ref> Bottlers purchase the base spirits in bulk, then filter, dilute, distribute and market the end product under a variety of vodka brand names.<ref>{{cite news|last=Nasaw|first=Daniel|title=Why are there so many brands of vodka on sale?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18360315|access-date=14 July 2012|newspaper=BBC News|date=7 June 2012}}</ref> Similar methods are used in other regions such as Europe.<ref name="Akwawit-Polmos">{{Cite web |url=http://www.akwawit.com.pl/en/spirits_in_bulk.html |title=Spirits in bulk |website=Akwawit-Polmos |access-date=4 August 2017 |quote=The agricultural ethyl alcohol we produce is the basic component of clear and fine vodkas. Our product is used for manufacturing vodkas of the best brand in Poland. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805030216/http://www.akwawit.com.pl/en/spirits_in_bulk.html |archive-date=5 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

This pure grain alcohol, also known as ''rectified spirit'', ''neutral spirit'', or ''ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin'', is also available directly to consumers in some areas, as products such as [[Everclear (alcohol)|Everclear]], Polmos ''spirytus rektyfikowany'', and others. In contrast to very high ABV vodkas such as the Bulgarian ''Balkan 176°'' with 88% ABV, these grain alcohol products are not considered vodka; they have not (yet) gone through the filtration and refining process used to produce vodka.<ref name=ginvodka1 /><ref name="Akwawit-Polmos" /><ref name="Everclear">{{Cite web |url=http://www.makeityourown.com/faq |title=Everclear Uses and Products FAQs |website=Make it Your Own with Everclear |publisher=Luxco |access-date=4 August 2017}}</ref>

A study conducted on [[National Public Radio|NPR]]'s ''[[Planet Money]]'' podcast revealed negligible differences in taste between various brands of vodka, leading to speculation as to how much branding contributes to the concept of "super-premium vodkas".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/01/590022606/is-there-really-a-difference-between-expensive-vodka-and-cheap-vodka |title=Is There Really A Difference Between Expensive Vodka And Cheap Vodka? |website=NPR.org |language=en |access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

===Distilling and filtering===
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2017}}
A common property of the vodkas produced in the United States and Europe is the extensive use of filtration before any additional processing including the addition of [[flavorant]]s. Filtering is sometimes done in the [[still]] during [[distillation]], as well as afterward, where the distilled vodka is filtered through [[activated charcoal]] and other media to absorb trace amounts of substances that alter or impart off-flavors to the vodka. However, this is not the case in the traditional vodka-producing nations, so many distillers from these countries prefer to use very accurate distillation but minimal filtering, thus preserving the unique flavors and characteristics of their products.

The master distiller is in charge of distilling the vodka and directing its filtration, which includes the removal of the "fore-shots", "heads" and "tails". These components of the distillate contain flavor compounds such as [[ethyl acetate]] and [[ethyl lactate]] (heads) as well as the [[fusel oil]]s (tails) that impact the usually desired clean taste of vodka. Through numerous rounds of distillation, or the use of a fractioning still, the taste is modified and clarity is increased. In contrast, the distillery process for liquors such as [[whiskey]], [[rum]], and [[baijiu]] allow portions of the "heads" and "tails" to remain, giving them their unique flavors.

Repeated distillation of vodka will make its ethanol level much higher than is acceptable to most end users, whether legislation determines strength limits or not. Depending on the distillation method and the technique of the still master, the final filtered and distilled vodka may have as much as 95–96% ethanol. As such, most vodka is diluted with water before bottling.

===Flavoring===
{{Main|Flavored liquor}}
[[File:Polmos Białystok - Żubrówka.jpg|thumb|right|A vodka distillery in [[Bialystok]], Poland, where the bison grass vodka "[[Żubrówka]]" is produced]]
[[File:Finlandia_Classic_vodka.jpg|thumb|right|Finnish-grown six-row barley and glacial spring water, [[Finlandia Vodka]]]]
While most vodkas are unflavored, many flavored vodkas have been produced in traditional vodka-drinking areas, often as home-made recipes to improve vodka's taste or for medicinal purposes. Flavorings include red pepper, ginger, fruit flavors, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon. In Russia, vodka flavored with honey and pepper, ''pertsovka'' in Russian, is also very popular. In Poland and Belarus, the leaves of the local [[bison grass]] are added to produce ''[[żubrówka]]'' (Polish) and ''[[zubrovka]]'' (Belarusian) vodka, with slightly sweet flavors and light amber colors. In Lithuania and Poland, a famous vodka containing honey is called ''[[krupnik]]''.

This tradition of flavoring is also prevalent in the [[Nordic countries]], where vodka seasoned with herbs, fruits, and spices is the appropriate strong drink for several seasonal festivities. Sweden has forty-odd common varieties of herb-flavored vodka (''kryddat brännvin''). In Poland and Ukraine, a separate category ({{lang|uk|nalyvka}} in Ukraine and ''[[nalewka]]'' in Poland) is used for vodka-based spirits with fruit, root, flower, or herb extracts, which are often home-made or produced by small commercial distilleries. Their alcohol contents vary between 15 and 75%. In [[Estonia]], vodkas are available with barberry, blackcurrant, cherry, green apple, lemon, vanilla, and watermelon flavors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.therealculture.com/estonian-culture/estonian-vodka-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100401100638/http://www.therealculture.com/estonian-culture/estonian-vodka-2/ |archive-date=1 April 2010|title=Estonian Vodka flavors|work=therealculture.com}}</ref>

In most cases, vodka flavoring comes from a post-distillation infusion of flavors. Through the fermentation process, grain mash is transformed into a neutral alcohol beverage that is unflavored. The process of flavoring vodka so that it tastes like fruits, chocolate, and other foods occurs after fermentation and distillation. Various chemicals that reproduce the flavor profiles of foods are added into vodka to give it a specific taste.