Freimeisterkollektiv Sangaste Vodka

Production
Whole-grain Sangaste winter rye is milled and mashed. Saccharification and fermentation are carried out using green malt and organic yeast. After 72 hours of fermentation, the mash has an alcohol content of 8%. It is distilled by Sven Ivanov and his team in a column still, utilizing different columns for specific separation processes. At the end of the very slow distillation, the vodka has an alcohol content of 96.7% ABV and is stored for at least six months before being brought to the typical Estonian drinking strength of 50% ABV using spring water from the Pandivere Upland. Craftsmanship and the utmost care, from the selection of the rye to the fermentation, distillation, and storage, allow the distiller to completely forgo filtration, thereby preserving the fine, clear flavor in its entirety.

Nose
Very clear, minimal cereal notes
Palate
Mild and clear, light notes of fennel and licorice, citrus, vanilla
Finish
Nutmeg, almond, black pepper
Alcohol content: 50% vol.

The Spirit Without Qualities
Hardly any other spirit represents soulless industrial goods as much as vodka. At the same time, this very category of spirits has the greatest potential to reinvent itself. With WODKA SANGASTE 800, made from Sangaste winter rye, the Freimeisterkollektiv pays tribute to the spirits tradition of the so-called "vodka belt." Using the finest, organically grown winter rye, a mild vodka with character and identity is distilled.

Master distiller Sven Ivanov distills and fractionates with the utmost precision in one of the oldest vodka distilleries in the world, making subsequent filtration unnecessary. Subtle tasting notes reveal the delicate aromas of the ingredients. Clarity and purity are achieved through the precise separation of fusel oils, heads, and tails, as well as extremely delayed rectification.

Vodka – a soulless projection screen for marketing
For the Freimeisterkollektiv, vodka is both a part of culture and a reflection of technological history. Today, consumer-cultural aspects usually take center stage for vodka: as an industrial spirit devoid of both taste and identity, vodka is a soulless projection screen for marketing and lifestyle. A sensorially indistinguishable product is showcased in as eye-catching packaging as possible. All attributed qualities are extrinsic and have little to do with the contents of the vodka bottle.

In the nightlife scene, the vodka bottle is the trophy for those celebrating their successful performance in capitalist competition. Like a cup, these elaborately decorated bottles are presented to the winners of our society in international nightclubs. An astonishing cultural transformation for a spirit that, in the West, was seen for decades as a cheap comfort for the dreary, gray Soviet everyday life.

Cultural History vs. Technological History
There is a legal regulation that defines this beverage. However, one can clearly discern the influence of lobby groups and industry representatives in this legal definition. Compromises and vague formulations regarding flavorings and sugar or glycerin content seem intentional. Even the so-called "vodka war" that raged within the EU for years contributed little to improving quality through a revised legal product definition.

There are other contradictions and ambiguities when it comes to vodka. Some Eastern European countries try to outdo each other in determining who can look back on the oldest vodka history. All claim to have been distilling vodka since at least the late Middle Ages. However, it is pointed out again and again: vodka is supposed to be particularly neutral. "Vodka is a spirit drink produced from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin," states the EU regulation, thereby demanding the sensory neutrality of this beverage by law.

However, this neutral taste—or the near-total absence of sensory characteristics—stands in contradiction to the long history of vodka. Because in order to suppress the sensory characteristics of the raw material used as much as possible, a very high-proof distillate must be produced. This, in turn, only became possible with the invention of the column still. Until the 19th century, all distilleries in Europe were equipped exclusively with pot stills, the technical model for which was the alembic—a distillation apparatus from the Arab world that spread through Europe starting in the late Middle Ages.

Therefore, vodka cannot be both things at once: a distillate with a great tradition reaching back to the Middle Ages and a neutrally tasting ethanol that could only be technically distilled in such a way since the mid-19th century.

Estonian Drinking Strength
The anecdote is often told that the famous Russian chemist and father of the periodic table still used today, Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, determined the 40% ABV drinking strength for vodka. As beautiful as the story sounds, the drinking strength of vodka was already fixed at 40% vol. in Russia while Mendeleev was still a child.

In Estonia, however, people continued to drink vodka at 50% vol. The Freimeisterkollektiv follows this Estonian tradition with this bottling, as the extremely mild character of this vodka allows it to be enjoyed at room temperature and at a high drinking strength.

Sven Ivanov
Master Distiller | Moe, Estonia

He is obsessive, a charming driven soul, and the warmest of perfectionists. Sven Ivanov began his professional career with no intention of ever taking over as master distiller and owner of the last remaining distillery in Estonia. After training in logistics and storage technology, he founded a transport company, and in 2002 he moved into the forestry industry, producing wood pellets. In 2009, he parted ways with his company and acquired the second-oldest vodka distillery in the world. From that moment on, everything for Sven revolved around perfecting vodka. His goal was to distill the best organic ingredients from his region so cleanly that filtration would no longer be necessary. In this way, he maintained the Estonian spirits tradition while simultaneously reviving it in the best quality. But it is not only taste-related perfection that is important to this self-made distiller. In 2013, he founded a company that generates CO2-neutral and sustainable energy for his distillery. Thus, he can proudly say: “We are a zero-waste company with no production residues, and all our packaging material is recycled.”