The earliest written reference to vodka is found in a Polish manuscript from 1405. It is therefore widely believed that vodka originated in Poland.

The Polish word for vodka is "wуdka", and its literal translation is "little water". It is the diminutive form of "woda" which means "water" (in Polish "w" is pronounced as a "v").

In Poland, commercial distillation began at the end of the 16th century, with Poznan established as a production centre by 1580. So in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the distilling industry was already well developed and distilleries specialized in producing spirits and flavouring them according to their own recipes.

The legend of Wyborowa tells that in 1823 the businessman Hartwig Kantorowicz established a new modern distillery in Poznan. It happened that the same year, a Polish newspaper announced a competition to find the finest vodka in Poland and Hartwig Kantorowicz presented his vodka for this contest.

It is said that the president of the judging panel proclaimed it “Exquisite!” when tasted the product and the rest of the panel agreed. Thus, the Kantorowicz’s vodka was named the best vodka in Poland. Thrilled by the word used to describe his vodka, Hartwig decided to call it “Wyborowa” which literally translates as “Exquisite” in English.

Almost a century later, in 1927, Wyborowa became the world’s first vodka to register its brand name internationally.



Wyborowa history