Lithuanians first in the world invented way to make vodka from grain

However hard the Russians propagandize that, they were the ones who started producing vodka in the 17th century, neither historical, nor any other source can confirm that. The Russians never knew how to make real vodka, until the Russian chemist D.Mendeleev (1834-1907) found the rectification of the alcohol. He also was the first, who suggested to mix alcohol and water according to the weight, and not volume, what is not known to the manufacturers of the poor vodkas in Western Europe up to now. (Having bought some of the "gorbachiovka", "yeltsinovka", or "kremliovka" You will never find the same percentage of alcohol there. This shows that in Belgium, Germany or any other place, such a wish-wash is being made for a "little bit touched" ones. To tell the truth, the poor alcohol is being diluted with water from the tap - the drunkards will drink it anyway, they feel no difference...)

Both in the old times and nowadays, Russian villagers can not make vodka. In the old times they drank an oversoured drink - "sivuha", "samagon", "brandahlist". The Ukrainians in the 17th century learned how to distil vodka from Lithuanians, but having no experience they distilled a whitish drink "gorilka", that kept all the alcohols and the water steam inside, and which contained about 25-30 per cent of alcohol. And in spite of the fact that the Ukrainians were under the rule of the Grand Lithuanian Principality for three hundred years, they have not learned to distil good vodka. Most probably it was cheaper to buy vodka, which was brought by the Lithuanian merchants, than to make it. Knowledge and experience were needed for this.

In Lithuania vodka was being distilled from grain already at the beginning of the previous millenium. Sour drink "gira", beer, mead were being made, but vodka was being distilled. The specially prepared barley was being burnt (heated)so that it by no means boiled, but vodka evaporated. From this process vodka gets its Lithuanian name - "DEGTINE". (By the way, this is the only term, describing the process of the production of the strong drink(!). This linguistic-semantic argument is the most archaic in the world. Whisky - means "water" in old English, le de vi - "water" in old French, vodka - "water" with a little bit negative meaning in old commonfolk Russian.) Ancient Lithuanians in their experience knew that ethyl alcohol evaporates at the temperature of 78.3 degrees. Even now the very good distillers of the home-made vodka determine and control the time of the barley burning (heating), in order to get a clear as a tear home-made vodka, without any additional smells (of other alcohols), dashes, and with the alcohol percentage of 60-70. But, vodka distillers know, that while distilling vodka the poisonous methyl alcohol exudes earlier at the temperature of 71 degrees. The technlogists of the modern vodka production, especially from Russia and Europe, where nobody knew how to make vodka, can not understand how Lithuanians could rectificate vodka, though the rectification itself was not known to the world yet.

The Lithuanian ancestors rectificated the dangerous methyl alcohol very simply. It was a taboo for the distillers to drink the first dipper of vodka, which had to be, and still has to, be sacrificed to the gods by pouring vodka on the ground. This custom is still alive and obligatory in Lithuania. The first dipper of vodka can not be drunk. It is being poured over the shoulder, simultaneously saying "For Gods!" Up till now, in the villages of the Lowlands, You can hear the distillers saying in the Lowlandish dialect: "Give the first cup to the gods"; "Who does not give to gods, gets his eyes dripped"; "First cheers to gods, then to a person"; "First cheer the god, then god will give you health"; "Pour the first vodka to gods, if you do not do this, they will take your health away."

The most famous Irish and Scottish whiskey (whisky) manufacturers are deprived of speech when they hear such an elementary rectification dictated and learned by the practice and experience. They incline their heads low, and award the Lithuanians with all the laurels. While the Irish (the first to start making whiskey in the British Isles) come straight to the point. They say, that the beginning of whiskey and beer production, in the 13th century, was not spontaneous. It was started using the recipe, originally brought from somewhere, most probably from Lithuania. This proposition is not made up, because the Irish legends that St.Patric tought the Irish folk to make whiskey, remain ony legends. The written sources point out, that in 1250 the monks started selling whiskey to the folk. It should not be so astonishing, because in 1236 the Pope Gregory IX signed the bull, and announced the Crusade against the Lithuanians. The warlike Irish monks took part in it too...

By the way, after visiting Lithuania and seeing how vodka can be distilled, Irish and Scottish whiskey manufacturers confess that they know this method only from the written sources, and they could neither understand nor master this ancient technology. The technology, that is known to every Lithuanian villager, and, of course, every villager can make some really good vodka for himself.

Source: www.hbhjuozas.lt