Starka

Starka
Manufacturer	Szczecińska Fabryka Wódek "Starka"
Country of origin	Poland, Lithuania
Introduced	15th century
Alcohol by volume	40 - 50%
Variants	Starka from 3 to 50 years old Herbal Starka
Website	www.polmos.szczecin.pl

Starka is a type of

rye whisky. Sold in various grades, the most notable difference between them is the length of the aging period, varying from 3 to over 50 years,^[1]

and the natural colour which is obtained from the reaction between the alcohol and the oak barrel, not from the additives.

History

Starka was known in Poland and Lithuania at least since the 15th century, later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, and by the 17th century became one of the favourite drinks of the nobility of the Commonwealth and Sarmatist culture. Tradition had it that at a child's birth, the father of the house poured large amounts of home-made spirits (approximately 75 proof) into an empty oak barrel, previously used to store wine (usually imported from Hungary at that time and hence called Węgrzyn, or Hungarian). The barrel was then sealed with beeswax and buried, only to be dug out at the child's wedding. The name itself stems from this process of aging and in 15th century Polish meant both the vodka type and an old woman. Alternatively the name is derived from the Lithuanian word "Starkus",^[2] as production of Starka is associated with birth.

In late 19th century various companies (mostly in

export good

.

Currently, Szczecińska Fabryka Wódek "Starka" (former

Polmos Szczecin) is the only company to produce Starka in Poland, and they offer it in all age classes, from 3 to 50 years old but the oldest Starkas date back to 1947. All Starkas produced by Szczecińska Fabryka Wódek "Starka" contain 40% - 50% alcohol by volume.^[3] There is also a number of other companies (most notably in Lithuania, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Russia, Latvia and United States) that produce vodkas styled after the starka (produced mostly from a mixture of rectified spirit and herbal tinctures

).

References

External links

Starka, one of the most respected manufacturers of Starka
Stumbras, producer of Starka-styled alcohol from Lithuania
Vilniaus Degtine Archived 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine, producer of Starka-styled alcohol from Lithuania
St. Louis Distillery, producer of Starka in USA
Duvall Distillery, Producer of American Starka (not quite old enough for marriage) Duvall Washington USA

[1] Starka 50 Year Old

[2] "Starkus reikšmė - lietuvių kalbos žodynas".

[3] Starka: The Elixir of Poland’s Sarmatist Nobility

[1]

[2]

[3]