Polugar No. 4 Honey and Allspice Vodka

Polugar No. 4 Honey and Allspice Vodka (750mL, 38.5% ABV) is the infused side of the bread-wine revival: a home brew of rye and wheat, triple-distilled in copper pot stills reproduced from 18th-century drawings, with honey and allspice added directly to the pot before the third distillation — per an aristocratic recipe of the 19th century. Like the single-grain selections, it is clarified with egg whites and purified with white birchwood charcoal, then bottled at the historic half-gar strength. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 90 points (Excellent). Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 38.5% (traditional half-gar strength)
• Size: 750mL
• Base: Rye-and-wheat home brew, triple-distilled in copper pot stills
• Infusion: Honey and allspice added directly to the pot before the third distillation
• Process: Egg white fining; white birchwood charcoal filtration; natural water, not chemically purified
• Awards: 90 Points — Excellent, Wine Enthusiast 2023; Distinguished Platinum Winner

A 19th-Century Aristocrat's Infusion

Long before flavored vodka meant syrup and marketing, Russian aristocrats infused their bread wine with whatever the estate produced — honey from the hives, spice from the trade routes — added straight into the still so the flavors married with the spirit instead of sitting on top of it. No. 4 follows that method literally: the honey and allspice go into the copper pot before the third distillation, so what you taste is infusion by fire, not flavoring by bottling line. The result drinks like a bridge between an amaro and a vodka — and the 90-point Wine Enthusiast score suggests the judges noticed. Explore the Polugar range or browse our vodka collection for more bottles with genuine history in the glass.

Tasting Notes

The initial aroma is honey, opening to the zest of allspice; the bouquet evolves into an amaro-like fragrance as allspice piquancy stimulates the senses. The entry offers an upfront honey element; the mid-palate turns tangy as the honey fades; and the finish is long, bitter, spicy, and herbal. Expect warmth and spice rather than sweetness — this is an infusion, not a liqueur.

How to Enjoy

Slightly chilled and neat, the way the importer recommends — the honey-to-bitter arc needs no help. In cocktails, the brand points to an Apple Martini, and the sell sheet's Spiced Sour (No. 4 with pomegranate juice, lemon, and vanilla) is built for the bottle's bitter-herbal finish; a Killer Bee's Knees variation with lemon, ginger shrub, and honey plays to its sweeter side.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is an infused expression of Polugar's historic Russian bread wine: a rye-and-wheat spirit triple-distilled in 18th-century-style copper pot stills, with honey and allspice added directly to the pot before the third distillation, following a 19th-century aristocratic recipe. It is bottled at 38.5% ABV.

No. Per the US importer's production spec, the ingredients added to the still are honey and allspice only. Hot pepper belongs to a different expression (No. 2 Garlic & Pepper).

It opens with honey on the nose and entry, but the mid-palate turns tangy and the finish is long, bitter, spicy, and herbal. It drinks as a dry, complex infusion — closer to an amaro in character than to a sweetened flavored vodka.

The importer recommends it slightly chilled and neat, or in an Apple Martini. Its bitter-herbal finish also suits a Spiced Sour (pomegranate, lemon, vanilla) or a Bee's Knees-style build with lemon, ginger, and honey.

Order Polugar No. 4 Honey and Allspice Vodka online from Del Mesa Liquor — a 90-point infusion with two centuries of method behind it.