Konik’s Tail Vodka:
A Primeval Forest and Ancient Tradition.

Not long ago, Europe was covered in primeval forests, untouched for millennia, today but a few remain. Isolated strongholds for rare European Bison and wild horses. Such a forest is that of Białowieża in eastern Poland. An almost mythical place where the elusive Konik’s horses still roam free. The region is rich in history and tradition, food and drink has played an important role in the local’s culture and everyday lives for well over a thousand years. It is here, in this fascinating place, that a truly exceptional Vodka has been created.

The story starts about 25 years ago with a young Kosovan, named Pleuart Shabani, who, at the time worked as a kitchen porter in Piccadilly Circus in London. He worked his way up through the ranks and found himself bartending in Soho, where he learned the trade and found an interest in distilling. After experiencing a variety of spirits and talking to producers, he believed he could make something different and quite incredible.

600 years before Pleurat was bartending, Vodka was already an established distillate. The world’s first mention of vodka was mentioned in the writings of a recorder of deeds in 1405, in Poland. At the time, the word wódka referred to chemical compounds such as medicines and cosmetics' cleansers, while the popular beverage currently known as vodka was called gorzałka (from the Old Polish verb gorzeć meaning "to burn"). Over time the Polish people found that vodka was quite enjoyable, rightly so, they developed regional varieties as diverse as that of cognac. Today vodka is to the Polish what beer is to the Germans or whisky to the Scots.

Pleurat decided to travel to Poland to learn everything there is to learn about Vodka. He not only studied it, he lived it – literally camping out in grain fields, testing the effect of the soil, climate and harvesting on the different types of grain used in vodka production. Over time he developed the recipe that would go on to become his own vodka; Konik’s Tail. A premium, small batch produced, spelt grain vodka. The elegant label on the bottle describes the wild Konik’s horse that still graze in the Białowieża forest, amongst silver birch trees. The legend has it that to catch a sign of them is a sign of a good harvest and in turn, good vodka.

But Konik’s Tail Vodka is not just good, it’s bloody brilliant. Pleurat has achieved this mastery by combining three types of grain (depicted as three Konik’s horses on the bottle) for a complex, characterful and robust textured spirit. An Ancient Spelt (the happy grain) which lends an earthy nuttiness and creamy vanilla texture, Golden Rye (the dancing grain) which offers the spiced peppery notes you would expect from a whiskey and finally Winter Wheat (the smiling grain) which gives the vodka a butterscotch sweetness, subtle red fruit notes and a long-lasting finish.

The vodka is distilled at the Polmos Bialystok distillery which is situated on the fringes of the Białowieża, in small batches and only 4000 bottles are released each year, before being filtered through layers of silver birch charcoal for the crisp and clean finish. It’s elegant and refined, yet subtle and nuanced – the perfect vodka for my favourite vodka martini.

Pleurat has achieved something that not only stands out against the wide variety of different vodkas out there, but is unique and tells a fascinating story – something that is rare and hard to find in a world dominated by mass produced spirits. He has become a friend over the course of the last year and we have teamed up to create a series of seasonal cocktail recipes, that focus on local produce, foraged wild ingredients and delicious flavours. Over the course of the next few months, as the seasons change from Winter, to Spring to Summer – I will be developing a variety of drinks that showcase the versatility of the vodka by mixing it with different fruit, herbs, botanicals and vegetables. The first series is for the month of December, where I have found interesting combinations using Quinces, Walnuts and Honey. You can find the recipes below:

Since writing this article I have learnt that over the last decade the Białowieża forest has been under constant threat of deforestation, habitat loss and destruction. Even after a court hearing resulting in the EU government suing Poland for illegal logging in the region - the forest is yet again under threat. Some parts of the primeval forest has been untouched for centuries, home to around 12,000 different species of animals, including wolves, the endangered European Bison, Lynx and boars among many others. Some species of plants, fungi and insects are completely unique to the forest, found nowhere else on Earth - more are discovered each year. It is a small forest of just 835 square miles (about twice the size of Hong Kong) and is a designated UNESCO world heritage site. The destruction in the region is for purely selfish and economic gain at the expense of precious wildlife. It is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Europe and it is vital that it is protected and preserved so that life on this planet can continue to be diverse and grow - without that diversity, the world we inhabit will become stagnant and already showing signs of the eventual collapse of whole ecosystems. I have struggled to find a way of supporting the fight to protect the region - i will continue to research, however should you find any information please do let me know at theo@theomaxfield.com. Until then I will continue to raise awareness of this truly magical place.

Bialowieza: Poland to resume logging in primeval forest - BBC News

Poland’s border wall will cut Europe’s oldest forest in half - UPI.com

Saving Białowieża forest | WWF