Experts say that high-quality vodka is inferior in quantity to counterfeit and fakes. The worst thing is that low-quality vodka is sold in supermarkets at high prices, so the cases of poisoning and the development of a severe form of alcohol dependence have increased. It is important for the buyer to know how to choose the right vodka so as not to endanger their health.

External signs

The most famous alcoholic drink is vodka. The question of how to choose good vodka, which a consumer should know for this, is more acute nowadays. Selling low-quality vodka has become commonplace. Good vodka is sold in supermarkets and stores, you can find it if you pay attention to:

• price: the cheaper, the less quality product;
• a bottle;
• a label;
• appearance;
• shelf life;
• manufacturer;
• liquid color.

Having carefully studied the purchased product, the consumer will protect himself from poisoning. You need to choose vodka, which has a mild taste and a vodka smell. If you wipe your palm with it, then a quality drink will not have the smell of acetone, chemistry. She does not burn the mucous membrane, since it has no impurities. The composition of the drink should be 40-56% alcohol.

Quality examination

Experts warn that cheap alcohol may contain methyl alcohol, which is poison. The more acetic aldehyde and fusel oils, the stronger the smell of chemistry and acetone in vodka. According to GOST 51355-99 in vodka there should be fusel oils of 5 gm / d3, and good - up to 1-2.

The Center for Standardization, Metrology and Certification of the Moscow Region conducted an examination of 5 types of vodka. They checked the content of fusel oils, acetic aldehyde, and alkalinity of water. When alcohol is diluted with tap water, the alkali is greater than 2. There was no falsification among the subjects.

There was no falsification among the subjects.

What good vodka should be

Choosing high-quality alcohol is easy if you know the signs of low-quality vodka. Then you can easily recognize the counterfeit. The first thing that should alert the buyer is the absence of an excise stamp.

We look at the bottom of the bottle

Vodka consists of 2 components: alcohol and water, so there should not be anything else in it. The first thing a buyer should do is look at the bottom of the bottle, turning it upside down so that the light illuminates the contents. A drink is of high quality if:

• clear liquid;
• no flakes;
• garbage - hair, grains of sand;
• there is no yellow or whitish color - a sign of unsanitary conditions.

It is easy to determine the illegality of the production of vodka on the bottom of the bottle. You need to hold it with your palm, if you notice a barely noticeable presence of oil, then the container passed through the factory conveyor. A very coarse oil print will indicate that it is a palette.

It is worth buying a drink only when no extraneous ingredients are visible in it. It is harder to identify the quality of the alcohol, which cannot harm the body.

Label information

The label can tell a lot about the contents of the bottle. If the vodka is of high quality, the label will indicate that the alcohol is made in accordance with GOST R 51355-99. The fake will be vodka, on the bottle of which stands the now canceled GOST 12712-80.

The label must contain the address of the manufacturer. Pay attention to its quality, at the factory there can be no bubbles, torn corners, distortions.

Bottle cap or cap should be branded with the brand of the enterprise.

If this is fake:

• no excise stamp;
• the cap scrolls easily;
• the cork or cap is deformed;
• the cap cannot be separated from the metal extension.

With a careful study of the cork, the buyer will easily find signs that will alert and push for a more thorough examination of the goods.

What should be a bottle

The appearance of the bottle is important for choosing good vodka. The design decision in this case is not at all important.

Estimated:

• quality of screw plug or cap nozzle;
• presence of a stamp of the date of the spill;
• stamps on the cork and the label must match;
• the presence on the bottom of the bottle of dark strokes from the rubber of the conveyor;
• type of bottle: good vodka is sold in branded containers;
• availability at the bottom of branded bottles of release date and batch number;
• laser engraved numbers on the cap and on the neck of the bottle.

Counterfeiters pour the contents into the simplest and cheapest containers. Vodka in branded bottles with a characteristic shape and color should be of high quality.

Spill time

Vodka should be fresh, bottled 3 months ago, no more. Import spills are allowed up to 6 months. such periods are necessary so that the packaging cannot be reused.

Vodka purity

To ensure product purity, check the alcohol for harmful substances. This will help ordinary litmus paper. If sulfuric or acetic acid is present, it will turn red.

On the amount of fusel oils, vodka can be checked when a spoon with alcohol is set on fire until the liquid ignites. If the smell is unpleasant - this product is dangerous, then it contains a large amount of fusel oils.

Cleaning

The most important in the process of “how to choose high-quality vodka” is called the technology of its multilevel purification. Manufacturers indicate the purification of alcohol:

• silver;
• birch buds;
• honey
• milk powder.

The consumer pays for such technologies, but to choose such a product or not is an individual matter. In any case, good vodka should be clean and transparent.

Shelf life and date of manufacture

Ordinary vodka is stored for no more than one year, a special grade is six months. They are wary of alcohol, which is stored longer.

Enterprises make on each bottle with a laser printer an inscription with the date of manufacture, which is not erased by anything. On a palette, this date is put on the label (on its back) with a conventional printer.

Where to buy the right vodka

You can buy good vodka only in company and specialized stores, supermarkets. Here fake is unlikely.

Do not buy vodka:

• in trays;
• in doubtful cafes, pubs;
• on natural wounds.

In order not to harm your health, it is better to choose vodka in well-known specialized supermarket chains:

• Bristol;
• White and black;
• Norman.

A quality product is sold in federal chain stores:

• Magnet;
• Disks
• Pyaterochka;
• A penny;
• Seventh Continent;
• Crossroads;
• Alphabet of taste.

Good vodka is always more expensive, although the price does not always correlate with quality. The low price should alert the consumer, as the likelihood of buying a fake becomes much higher.

So that the holiday does not turn into a hospital bed, examine the bottle and its contents, label, and the presence of an excise stamp. Only then can you choose good vodka, avoid a surrogate, and protect yourself from counterfeit. How careful it is to drink alcohol, which vodka to choose, depends on the consumer.

The most popular fake item is vodka. The reason is simple - alcoholic beverages have a guaranteed sale. Their fake is economically viable, since it requires a minimum of costs.

Pale vodka is produced in clandestine workshops, using the lowest quality raw materials. Alcohol goes to store shelves under the guise of products of famous brands, with labels, excise stamps and fake documents.

The use of such a product can have negative consequences, even death. According to doctors, people who regularly drink such drinks do not live to be forty years old, destruction in their body occurs very quickly. Often in such vodka contains the strongest poison - methanol. It has the taste and smell of edible alcohol, but its price is much lower. Initially intoxicating, like real vodka. After some time, signs appear that can be used to judge severe poisoning, but they can easily be confused with the usual hangover, so people do not immediately go to the doctor. This type of alcohol can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blindness, persistent headaches and other serious health problems.

Unfortunately, such a product can be bought even in the store. How to check whether singed vodka or not?

Signs of a fake

Vodka has a long history. This drink appeared during the transition of Russia to a three-field system for growing crops. This led to an incredible harvest. There was a lot of grain in people, and it had to be used somehow. The result was the emergence of vodka - a product of fermentation and distillation of wheat. Somewhat later, D.I. Mendeleev determined the ideal ratio of water and alcohol. This allowed the release of a product that soon became known around the world.

Demand for this drink has led to the birth of many ways to fake it. Singe vodka was sold at the price of the original. Manufacturers of fake product have shown ingenuity and have learned to fake even containers with labels, excise stamps, special corks and certificates. Therefore, consumers are interested in the question: "How to identify fake vodka?"

Price

The cheapness of an alcoholic beverage should alert you first. Usually in different stores the cost of alcohol is approximately the same. For the price, therefore, you can guess which vodka is singed. True, this feature is sometimes not enough to determine the quality of the product. Manufacturers of counterfeit products can set the same prices as in stores.

Place of sale

Most often, singed vodka is found on the shelves of small shops. To protect yourself, purchase goods in large supermarkets, there you will at least receive a check that confirms the fact of purchase. This will help prove the store’s guilt if necessary. But even in supermarkets you can buy a fake if it has the same certificates and excise stamps as high-quality vodka.

Capping quality

How to distinguish fake vodka on this basis? First of all, you need to pay attention to the type of bottle. Check if the cap is turning or leaking. Vodka in a bottle with a ball dispenser is in most cases real, since it is very difficult to fake such a container outside the production process.

The screw cap must be with a safety ring. An important characteristic is the level of liquid in the bottle. A container that has a screw plug must be filled to the middle of the neck. If a cap is used, then the liquid level is slightly higher than the shoulders.

Bottle contents

The drink must be inspected in the light, turning the container upside down. Look for sediment or other debris in it. Their presence suggests that vodka is falsified. If you shake the bottle, you can see large bubbles. This means that the drink contains a lot of water, and its quality is low. Singe vodka may be cloudy with a yellowish or pinkish tinge.

Date stamp

Each bottle must have a date stamp on it. Put it on the outside or inside of the label, on the glass of a bottle or cap. No matter where the stamp is located, the labels on it should be easy to read. The spill dates on the label and cap must match.

Label

Since in the factory the stickers on the bottles are applied automatically, they must be firmly, evenly glued and not have tears or other damage. Uneven and inaccurate smears of glue indicate that you have vodka in front of you. If the product is genuine, then the drawings and inscriptions on the label will be bright and easy to read. The label on the fake is dull, the labels are illegible and may have a barcode must be clear, not blurry.

Details of the manufacturer must be indicated on the label itself. The absence of such information may indicate that the enterprise as such does not exist at all. On the front side there should be a certification mark, license number, information about the date of bottling, about the strength of the drink and its composition, as well as the name and address of the manufacturer.

Alcohol quality

How to recognize fake vodka if nothing suspicious was found on the bottle? It will not be superfluous to evaluate the quality of alcohol. To do this, you need a teaspoon and a lighter. Heated vodka will flare up, and when it burns out, you need to smell the rest. A liquid with a pungent unpleasant odor has impurities in it.

To determine the presence of fusel oils in a drink that is suspicious, you need to add sulfuric acid to it in the same volume. If the vodka is blackened, it means that it is contained in large quantities. Try to lower the blue in alcohol. On the impurity of acids can be judged by coloring it in red.

To determine the presence of methanol, 10 ml of a suspicious drink is mixed with a small amount of dissolved laundry soap, a couple of drops of iodine are added and heated over a fire. If methanol is present in vodka, then a yellow precipitate does not precipitate, which appears in the presence of ethanol or acetone.

Manufacturers Protection

To protect the product from fakes, some manufacturers use additional protection systems that cannot be faked. These are embossed emblems, and quality markers and more. If you want to purchase a quality product, read the information on the manufacturer’s website about what additional protection measures are used.

To protect yourself from fakes, you must buy alcohol in large stores that have information about a license to sell alcohol. Be careful about the small details that fake vodka producers often forget.

Today, in stores selling alcohol products, an incredible variety of vodka of all kinds of producers is presented, both domestic and from near and far abroad. What kind of vodka items you will not find on shelves with vodka products. Recently, even appeared vodka called "Squirrel. I came!" (squirrel is called delirium tremens on a slang - a disease caused by excessive alcohol abuse).

The consumer has a natural question: “How to buy expensive or cheap vodka, which producer, domestic or imported?” But the main question remains how not to buy a fake and not to get poisoned vodka.

According to GOST, vodka can be produced from five types of alcohol: Alpha, Super, Lux, Extra, and Higher Purity Alcohol.

Alcohols "Alpha" and "Super" appeared on the Russian market in the late 90s of the last century. Only high-quality premium vodka is produced from this alcohol. Premium vodka is by definition the best, and in addition, the producers of such vodka monitor its sales and do not allow fake products to enter the markets.

Alcohols "Lux", "Alpha" and "Super", are prepared strictly only from grain. For alcohols of "Higher Purification" and "Extra" GOST allowed to use sugar beets and black molasses as raw materials. It is clear that vodka made from such alcohols cannot be of good quality and cannot compete with vodka made from grain.

In addition, there are manufacturers in Siberia and Central Russia who use vodka for their production ... medical alcohol (medical alcohol is produced chemically from petroleum products, in particular ethylene), which is not a food product and should not be consumed.

There are also manufacturers of alcoholic beverages using hydrolysis alcohol, which is made from wood, for the manufacture of our national product.

You can understand why people are of the opinion that vodka is made from sawdust and from oil.

However, it’s okay that the vodka you use is made from beetroot, potato or medical alcohol, provided that the alcohol is well purified and diluted with high-quality natural water. However, as the actual state of things shows, these alcohols, as a rule, are purified very poorly. Therefore, vodka from such alcohol is bad.

An excellent, soft and tasty German corn vodka, which is generally made from corn, can serve as an example of high-quality vodka from “inappropriate” raw materials.

Abroad used for the production of vodka and other alcohols, which are made from rice, beans and various grain products: wheat, rye barley, corn and buckwheat. Alcohols from potato, sweet potato, melon, pumpkin, molasses, raw sugar and even mushrooms are also used for the production of vodka.

It is unnecessary to mention that these alcohols have a very high degree of purification from fusel oils and other harmful impurities, and the vodka that is made from these alcohols is often better than more domestic brands.

There probably is no such person in the world who does not know what vodka is. The rating of this product among other strong alcoholic drinks is quite high.

Who drinks how much

It is human nature to compare certain facts and draw parallels. So, the famous British magazine The Economist conducted interesting studies a couple of years ago, which were devoted to the most popular spirits, such as gin, rum, tequila, scotch tape and vodka.

Studies have confirmed that vodka is still the most popular type. The rating of its consumption by countries also turned out to be quite expected. No one was surprised by the fact that most of all vodka is drunk in Russia. It turns out that per year per person on average 13.9 liters of this drink. The figure is not small, and it is worth pondering over it. Indeed, in other countries, this figure is much lower. For example, for Ukraine it is 7.7 liters, for Poland - 7.0, for Kazakhstan - 5.9, and for Germany - 0.9 liters.

Harm level

Many people mistakenly believe that vodka is the most harmful drink. In fact, everything looks very different. It turns out that there are drinks that hit the human body much harder than vodka. The hazard rating on a ten-point scale for the level of hangover is as follows:

• Whiskey, brandy - 8.
• Red wine and champagne - 7.
• White wine - 6.
• Beer - 4.
• Vodka - 3.

Unusual picture? It turns out that everything is very simple. Scientists have determined that brandy and whiskey over a long exposure time accumulate a large amount of harmful substances that can poison the human body. And ethanol, contained, for example, in whiskey, is rapidly absorbed into the blood and within an hour reaches its maximum level. If you do not keep track of the norm, then the hangover will be just cruel.

Beer, according to scientists, creates problems for the heart, intestines and, of course, the figure. In addition, it is able to create an imbalance of hormones. Vodka is the purest product. It does not contain impurities, flavors or dyes. And if you do not go too far with the quantity and do not mix it with anything, then the consequences will be minimal.

Which vodka is better

Until 2010, international expert commissions did not conduct research on which of the vodka produced in different countries of the world is better. American experts decided to fill this gap. They aim to establish a rating of vodka. As a result, the ten best brands of this drink were identified, which, according to the method of decreasing quality, were arranged in the following sequence:

1. Gray Goose made in France.
2. Crystall. Products of the Russian factory "Crystal".
3. Krolewska Polish production.
4. Youri Dolgoruki, Russia.
5. Finlandia made in Finland.
6. Jewel of Russia - from Russia.
7. Vincent. Vodka from the Netherlands.
8. Rain made in the USA.
9. Ketel One, The Netherlands.
10. 3 Olives English production.

The compiled rating of vodka confirmed the unconditional leadership of France. Although many believe that this is a genuine Russian product, in this case, the perfect selection of raw materials and five-time purification using limestone make Gray Goose quality undeniable and currently unattainable.

What do Russians like

Yes, foreign goods, of course, are good, but the average buyer still focuses more on a domestic manufacturer in his choice. This may be due to price differences or ordinary trust. After all, our country is rich in both first-class raw materials and good specialists who are capable of producing products of decent quality. In accordance with studies conducted in 2013, according to consumers, the rating of vodka in Russia is as follows:

1. "Metropolitan."
2. Finlandia.
3. "Earl Ledoff."
4. "Five lakes".
5. Husky.
6. Double Gold.
7. Saimaa.
8. "Firewood. Cleansed with birch charcoal. "
9. Talka.
10. "Baikal".

Positions were distributed between products depending on positive and negative customer reviews. The difference between these indicators was the starting point in determining the leader. The results show that the most popular is vodka produced in Altai. Everything is clear here, because the famous region has always been famous for its huge reserves of clean water and first-class grain.

That anyone can afford

Of course, not everyone can afford such vodka as Gray Goose. Its price is from 1500 to 1860 rubles. per bottle with a capacity of 0.75 liters. Therefore, Russian experts from Krasnoyarsk conducted a tasting in 2014 of vodka products of their own production and foreign factories, the cost of which does not exceed 600 rubles.

12 samples were presented to the jury, of which the rating of the best vodka in the indicated price segment was compiled. The local vodka Yarich was recognized as the best. She scored 9.63 points on a ten-point scale. The second was vodka from distant France "Aristoff", which got 9.54 points. In the third place of honor were two applicants: Russian Standard from St. Petersburg and Saimaa from Finland. Both of them received 9.43 points.

The experts focused on such indicators as color, transparency, taste and aroma of the product. True, ordinary consumers do not quite agree with their opinion. Most ordinary people do not consider Yarich the best vodka. But experts are probably more aware.

Competition "Vodka of the Year"

Recently it has become a good tradition to hold Product of the Year contests in various fields of industry. That is why leading experts from the CIS countries came together to determine which is the best vodka in Russia. The rating of candidates for the title “Best Vodka of 2015” determined 10 winners.

The unconditional leader was vodka Sibalko. She received a gold medal and a Grand Prix as a multiple winner. Next in order of priority are Imperial Trust and Honey with Lemon. These first three winners are truly commendable.

Further, starting from the fourth place, the products are arranged in the following order: organic vodka “Clean dews”, “Black diamond”, “Gulf stream”, “Radamir”, Selecta Lux, Haoma White, completes the top ten “Gold degree”. Drinks were evaluated by organoleptic indicators and the jury appreciably pleased. For example, everyone liked the original taste of Radamir. And the reason for this is the addition of raisins, which is a proprietary feature of the product.

Down with the fakes

Usually, experts determine the quality based on approved organoleptic indicators. These include color, appearance, taste and aroma. In addition, there are also physicochemical criteria to which the strength can be attributed, as well as the presence of concomitant alcohols, oils, esters and other elements in the test product. But all this requires a real laboratory. But what about a simple buyer who makes a choice every day, standing in front of multi-tiered store shelves, laden with numerous types of products? After all, it’s no secret to anyone that there are a lot of fakes on sale that cannot be distinguished in appearance. What to do in this case?

For starters, you should not look at the price. The number of zeros does not mean the quality of the goods. If among the rich assortment there is no familiar name, it is best to perform the simplest operation: pick up the bottle and turn it sharply counterclockwise. In this case, there may be two results:

1. Small bubbles form that settle on the surface and quickly disappear.
2. Large bubbles are located on the surface of the liquid for a long time.

For the right choice, the first option is preferred. And in the second case, you should not make a purchase. You need to remember this brand and never again on such a product.

One of the most popular spirits in the world is vodka - a strong alcoholic drink with an ethyl alcohol content of 40% to 56%. Rectified alcohol for the production of vodka is prepared from cereals, most often wheat, in rare cases, rye and rye malt. In small proportions, corn, millet, and barley are sometimes added. For the preparation of vodka, corrected water is also used, which is taken from natural sources (springs). Then the water is defended, cleaned of impurities, filtered, saturated with oxygen. It is the quality of water, as in the case of whiskey, that determines the final taste of vodka. Boiled or distilled water is never used. The technology for the production of vodka has not changed significantly over the past hundred years. A mixture of water and rectified alcohol is filtered through quartz sand or activated carbon, then additional elements are introduced into it that make vodka special. It can be berries, fruits, ginseng root, honey, peppers and other ingredients. These additives determine the taste of vodka - it can be softer, drier or hot. To make the taste of vodka as pleasant as possible, it must be cooled to 8 ° -10 ° before serving, a hearty and plentiful snack is served to it.

Vodka producers

It is a mistake to believe that vodka is produced only in Russia. Major exporters are also Germany, Sweden, Finland. Today it is impossible to pinpoint where the vodka was first made - various sources speak of such ancestors as Poland, Sweden, and Russia. One way or another, the traditions of the production and drinking of vodka are best developed in the countries of Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. In Russia, the name of vodka appeared only in 1936, when the first state standard was developed for this drink. In the 50s of the 20th century, the name of the drink became an international term.

Popular brands of vodka

Finlandia  - Finnish vodka, which is prepared by the method of continuous distillation and passes 200 stages of purification.
Absolut  - vodka from Sweden, produced in 15 variants with various flavors. The factory has existed since 1897.
Beluga  - exclusive Siberian vodka, export version with a unique bottle design and no less high-quality contents.
Kauffman  - vodka, which is produced in Kaluga and bottled in vintage bottles supplied from France.
Russian standard- premium vodka from St. Petersburg, spirits are filtered with gold and silver and diluted with corrected water of Lake Ladoga.

Vodka is an iconic drink for Russia. It so happened that this drink has special significance in Russian culture and is even considered national, although other countries also claim the right to be the "progenitors" of vodka. Strong traditions of the production and drinking of vodka exist in Poland, Finland, Sweden and the Baltic countries. Today a new direction has appeared in Russia - the so-called elite vodka, which belongs to the premium class and is made from especially high-quality alcohols. Of course, this is quite expensive vodka, but it is not a shame to serve it at a friendly party, and give it to a dear person. Premium Russian vodkas include such brands as Russian Standard, Ladoga, Beluga, Kauffman and others. In general, the price of vodka mainly depends on the design of the bottle and “special effects” - production features, such as filtering through silver or crystals of Ural minerals, adding ginseng root, etc.

This drink, without a doubt, is an element of Russian culture, like wine in France or schnapps in Germany. No feast is complete without a sweating bottle of this crystal-clear drink. An appetizer for vodka should be hearty, fatty, since vodka is a fairly strong, tough drink. What vodka to buy? Today there are drinks for every taste: classic and with various additives. So, you can buy vodka with ginseng, honey, pepper and even birch stones, and the Absolut collection of Swedish vodka has at least 15 fruit and berry variations. For cocktails in which this drink is widely used, vodka with various flavors is very suitable. Where to buy vodka? Today, there are a great many answers to this question - fortunately, the days of Gorbachev’s Prohibition have long passed. Selling vodka and other alcohol is a very common activity. Everyone is selling alcohol to anyone, but how realistic is it to buy really high-quality vodka? WineStyle is a counterfeit vodka store. We sell only reputable world brands of vodka: Absolut, Finlandia, Kauffman and others. We are found by requests " buy vodka Moscow"And" buy vodka cheap". Once on our site, many become regular customers. The reason for this is the convenient functionality of the catalog, sensitive service. And for our regular customers there are discounts and special offers. WineStyle - a store in which vodka is presented in a wide assortment. In this section you can choose a drink for both the home bar and luxury gift options.