VODKA MUSEUM
Embark on a journey through time at the Vihula Manor Vodka Museum, where fascinating vodka collections and stories from the history of vodka production will take you through centuries of traditions and flavors. There is something to discover for lovers of Estonian and international vodkas, Russian quality vodkas, and flavorful flavored vodkas.
Vodka collections in the museum
The vodka museum at Vihula Manor contains four collections with different contents:
ESTONIAN VODKA COLLECTION: in the main hall
VODKA COLLECTION FROM COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD: in the small hall
RUSSIAN PREMIUM VODKA COLLECTION: in the Russian vodka chamber
FLAVOURED VODKA COLLECTION: in the vaulted room
These vodka collections reflect the traditions and skills of vodka distillers from many countries, as well as the innovation and diversity of modern vodka production.
History of spirit production
Humanity has known how to produce spirits since ancient
times. The first written records of spirits date from the 9th century, when the arab Ragez, a physician at the great Baghdad hospital, invented a method for making vodka. At that time, vodka was used for medicinal purposes.
Vodka production at Vihula Manor
The first reports of vodka distilling at Vihula Manor date from the mid-18th century, and it became one of the manor’s main sources of income during the 19th century until the early 20th century. Originally vodka was produced only for the manor’s own needs and for the three taverns it owned, but later a large proportion of vodka production was sold to the state.
Russian vodka
According to the legend, the history of Russian vodka began in 1430 at the Chudov Monastery. Monk Isidore produced the first vodka made in Russia according to his own recipe. The use of the word vodka in a Russian official document, in its modern sense, is first dated 8 June 1751, in an edict of Empress Elizabeth’s that regulated the ownership rights of vodka distillers. In 1866, on the order of the Finance Minister of the Russian Empire, a decree was passed establishing 40% as the standard volume percentage for vodka.
Smuggling of spirits
International organised crime began during the Finnish Prohibition (1913–1933) throughout the entire Baltic Sea region. The smuggling of spirits on the Baltic Sea is associated with illicit spirit procurement from Germany, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Memel and Danzig. This phenomenon had its own socio-economic causes, primarily the difficult situation of coastal dwellers in Estonia, Finland and the shores of other Baltic Sea countries due to the global Great Depression.
History of flavoured vodkas
Flavoured vodkas have only recently become fashionable, but in reality, vodkas were almost always flavoured in the past.
Namely, when distillation developed in the 14th and 15th centuries, the original
technology was crude and distillers had no means of fully purifying the spirit and removing all the remaining raw ingredients, leaving behind residues and an unpleasant taste. Herbs and spices were therefore frequently added to the vodka.