Exotic/Disgusting Foods and Beverages Forum--A Polish Honey Liqueur

     Given my liking of liqueurs, and my accompanying usual dislike of many common hard liquors, such as whiskey, gin, tequila, vodka, and rum, it shouldn't be surprising that when I'm on the hunt for blog post drinks, I'm usually searching mostly in the liqueur section of the store.  A few months back I came upon a new-to-me one called Krupnik.  It was foreign, not that expensive, and flavored with honey, so I bit.

     The Krupnik I tried is made by Premium Distillers sp. z.o.o., out of Warszawa, Poland.  And yes, that's the real full title, complete with lower case letters with periods after them, spelling out "zoo" for some reason.  Presumably this is some sort of Polish abbreviation.  I understand that things like this are relative, and probably some full names for American companies sound silly to those that speak other languages.  But this said, I still find this comically weird.  Anyway, the history of the maker of this beverage was a bit convoluted, and difficult to locate.  I hope I won't make any mistakes, but it's very possible.  Back in 1846, a man named Hermann Winkelhausen opened up a distillery in Starogard, which he imaginatively named Starogard Distillery.  Hermann was aided by his father-in-law, who provided him with much of the equipment needed.  Hermann started by making vodka, cognac, and some liqueurs.  His sons Max and Otto took over upon Hermann's death in 1892.  By 1907 the distillery reportedly employed 500 people annually.  (Why annually?  Was the work seasonal?  I don't know.)  In 1919 the distillers became Polish citizens.  (As you might have guessed, the area where all of this took place was disputed, and sometimes part of different countries.)  In 1945 the factory was burned by soldiers, but was rebuilt.  Also in 1945, the state took control of the distillery, only releasing it back to private ownership in 2001.  Otherwise, the official company history was proud to note that famous actor Bruce Willis became a partner in 2009, and was also the face of their Sobieski vodka.  There were several name changes over the decades, but at some point it became the current moniker.  Premium Distillers (I'm not typing out all those extra letters each time) makes five basic kinds of booze.  Gdanski Spirits are intended to be the base for people to make their own kinds of flavored liquors, such as cherry, lemon, and raspberry drinks.  Polonaise is the luxury vodka line.  Rosolis includes flavored vodkas--rose, herbal bitters, and coffee kinds.  Impress is the company's line of ready-to-drink, weaker cocktails, such as kamikazes, mojitos, and a blackcurrant-flavored drink.  And Krupnik is more flavored vodkas and spirits.  Some of these flavors include plum, nut, cherry, "old" eggnog, salted caramel, cappuccino, pistachio, and mango.  And the honey liqueur I tried, obviously, although oddly, it was not included on the product list on their official website.  

     However, aside from being a brand of the Premium Distillery company, krupnik is also a type of liquor.  Traditionally it's a spiced, honey-based drink.  The history of it is a bit nebulous.  But most think that it was developed in what is now Belarus in the 1600's.  Possibly by Benedictine monks in a monastery in the town of Niasviz.  Krupnik is a drink often made by private individuals, to their respective preferences.  Some use vodka as the base, while others use grain alcohol.  The spices and herbs used also vary, but some common ones include cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and vanilla pod.  Sometimes the liquor is extremely potent, even up to 80-100% alcoholic content.  How it's consumed varies as well.  Some drink it cold, and others at room temperature.  And some heat it up, and throw in some chocolate and butter.  In Polish reckoning, krupnik isn't technically a liqueur, but a nalewka, which is a category of alcoholic drinks similar to medicinal tinctures.  Aside from Poland, krupnik is also popular in Belarus (obviously) and Lithuania.

Premium Distillers original Krupnik honey liqueur:  The color of this was a light brown, or, you know, like honey.  The odor was also honey-ish.  The texture was thick, almost syrupy.  And it was good.  The alcoholic content was moderately high (38%), but the taste made this almost a sipping drink.  If you like honey, you'll probably enjoy this.  Since I do enjoy honey, this was right in my wheelhouse, so to speak, and I would definitely recommend it.  Given how sweet it is, I doubt most folks would drink a lot of it in one sitting, but as a change of pace shot, it's very effective.  Possibly as an after-dinner digestive, as it's basically a dessert in a shot glass.  I reported on another honey liqueur a while ago, called Barenjager (see my post on September 18, 2021), and if memory serves this one was equally as tasty.  In fact, I'd like to do a blind, side by side comparison, and see which I prefer.  If/when I do this, I'll report back my results here.

     Switching topics, the horror anthology I've been talking about on this blog for the past month or two, "Scream and Cream," is due out in the next week and a half or so.  Unless the release date is unexpectedly postponed, look for an interview with one of my co-authors next week.