An Ode to the World’s First luxury Vodka

in 1992, tad dorda, set out to create the world’s first luxury vodka that used traditional methods and top quality ingredients from his native Poland, and thus chopin vodka was born. Growing up in a country that takes pride in perfecting the distilling process of vodka he recognized the nuances and subtleties that define the experience of drinking vodka and the differences between its character, taste and aroma, “if it didn’t have those things, why would we drink it?” he asks.

By Hillary Latos

For those who have been fortunate to taste the difference of Chopin Vodka would immediate understand the difference between the velvety finish of potato vodka from the peppery rye, and how the light sweetness of wheat based grain spirits. To create an authentic distilled Polish vodka, Chopin’s distillery is located in a 17-acre estate in the Polish village of krzesk located within 18 miles of the best potato, rye and wheat fields that have been cultivated for centuries. Water is tapped from 100 meter deep wells on property and distilled in copper columns. The vodka sits for a minimum of six months to create the balance that cannot be rushed.

“The story behind vodka, the history of how it’s made and where and how it’s consumed, is as rich as any other alcohol—as rich as whiskey, and as rich as a lot of other products out there that we talk more about. The deeper you look into it, the more interesting the story gets: It’s all about ingredients, terroir, water, and climate. The things we can learn from wine—how it’s linked to the terroir, the weather, the people who make it, the slopes, the sun—it’s exactly the same thing in vodka. What is growing on that land, who cultivates it, why is the soil that way, is it sunny, is it foggy? We need to start to talk about vodka in an intelligent way,” asserts Dorda.

Naturally this luxurious elixir would find a home with one of the world’s most renowned fashion designers, Vera Wang. A huge fan of the brand, Wang admits vodka has always been her spirit of choice but has discovered so much about its subtleties over the past two years while co-creating her own. She is grateful to have learned about the vodka process from Tad Dorda, founder and CEO of Chopin Vodka, whom she refers to as the ‘Master of Vodka.’ She adds that she, "will never ever look at a potato the same way again."

This March, Dorda and Wang partnered to unveil the world’s first vodka fashion collaboration. Hand-crafted from farm to bottle, Vera Wang personally selected a special variety of young potato for Vera Wang x Chopin that has never been on the market. The potatoes used for the product are sustainably grown and sourced without chemicals or pesticides and the resulting product is naturally gluten-free and has distinct taste, aroma, complexity and character.

During the creative process, Wang was determined to retain the Chopin bottle's iconic shape, with a modern, architectural, and sophisticated iteration for the Vera Wang fashion/lifestyle brand. From the matte bi-color bottle to her personal messaging, she describes this project as being an “amazing journey.” The poem on the back of the bottle is an "ode" to Wang's unique and highly personal relationship with vodka: how it makes her feel, the memories it evokes, and the emotion, sensuality, and romance vodka represents to her. Dorda exudes, "We are honored to have our first artist-designed collaboration with legendary Vera Wang, who is so passionate about the discovery of vodka and is a sincere Chopin Vodka connoisseur."