Drinkology | Konik's Tail Vodka

Konik's Tail Vodka

By Thomas Jukes

To create the smoothest of spirits there must be hardships along the way. That’s not one of those quotes from an inspirational poster you’d find on an office wall but it does hint towards the tale of this vodka. The founder, creator, and maker of Konik’s Tail is one, Pleurat Shabani, I caught up with Pleurat over the phone to get his personal insight on a few subjects. Born in Kosovo in 1971 Pleurat was about to start a life of unseen and terrible adversities. Deep political and social tensions were rife, by the age of nine Pleurat would be seen standing atop the rubble of his family home, destroyed as a result of his parent's rejection of the communist imposed regime. Jump to 1986 and a 15-year-old Pleurat is arrested by The State Security Service (UDBA), but that same week he goes into hiding and slips across into what we now know as Croatia. Three years go by and a still-young, Pluerat is arrested and imprisoned for protesting against the communist regime. Two years later Croatia breaks out in a bloody civil war.

Pluerat Shabini survives 5 years in the conflict before managing the escape to London in 1994. He took up work as a toilet cleaner but soon had lost both his job and his flat. Homeless and questioning where to go he borrowed a shirt and a pair of trousers and was given a second chance in life as a bar back before working briefly as a bartender. From this second chance he met a group of distillers from Germany, I asked Pleurat why he made his next life step and how he ended up travelling Europe with these distillers. “I always wanted to learn, how do you make a spirit. How is a spirit produced? What’s the difference between a white spirit and a brown spirit.” “They always say that every bottle behind the bar has a story, every bottle has a personality. Different cultures. Tequila, you’ve got the Mexican culture in a bottle. You’ve got the Polish culture in a vodka bottle. Just to understand the roots.” While out in Europe Pleurat's bartending experience would see him take the next step on the road to creating his iconic spirit. He tells me, “When explaining to them the nose, the palette, and the finish, they were hugely impressed. So I started working with them. In creating the recipes for the vodka distilleries in the vodka belt countries. The belt countries are Russia, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Ukraine.

I spent over 14 years creating recipes for the vodka distilleries. One day I thought, you know I’ve been making it for someone else so I want to make it better for myself. That’s how the whole thing started, you know, understanding the textures, the flavors, the aromas and just understanding how do you go from field to bottle.

Understanding the terroir, with me it's all about the terroir. It’s all about the soil, the climate, and the gut feeling.” In his search for perfection he settled on Poland, as it has some if not the most fertile soil in Europe. He explains to me, “I wanted to go to a place where no PR or marketing companies had reached. I learnt from the best, I learnt from the farmers where they make their own moonshine. You put your love, the passion, it’s the heart that goes inside the bottle.” Once he had settled on the distillery with the best water source and grain spirit it was time to make the careful and considered choice of grains to give the bold and characterful flavour he was after.

I asked Pleurat how he finally decided on his signature recipe, “Trial and error. I produced seven or eight bottles, at this stage I didn’t have a bottle, I didn’t have a design, not even the name of a brand. I had bottles from the farmers, one shorter, one taller, one fat and square, one round. Whatever they had in their sheds.” This trial and error would span 4 and a half years and see him go through, “150 trips to and from Poland” each time speaking to “bartenders: wholesalers, distributors, the buyers, Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nicks. Giving it to the journalists, the food and drinks editors, and getting their reaction” refining and changing the recipe every step of the way, eventually taking “450 blends to settle on the recipe.” Enter the final product, arguably one of the best vodkas in the world for sheer character and flavour. Konik’s Tail, an uncompromising Polish vodka stands tall in the elegant hand labelled, hand filled and hand-signed bottle.

The ghostly silver forms of three wild horses appear behind the name on the label. Three ‘Koniks’ legendary primeval horses of the Polish forest of Bialowieza. The three Koniks represent the three grains that are taken from seed to spirit under the watchful gaze of the spirits creator, Pleurat Shabani. In the tradition of creating the most perfect vodka possible each grain is furnished with a unique lot number so that every grain can be traced to the fields and source. These three grains are what give Konik’s Tail its unique and complex character. Ancient Spelt (The Happy Grain), brings the crisp and complex earthy bite of the vodka with notes of Brazil nut. Golden Rye (The Dancing Grain), adds a distinct and underlying buttery richness with hints of aniseed and white pepper basil spices. Early Winter Wheat (The Smiling Grain), adds the final classic touches that make for a clean and creamy finish on the palette with lasting citrus and vanilla notes.

It is a common misconception that vodka is not complex, it is simply a white spirit, it is simply alcohol, and that is not the case. Vodka as a spirit can vary from producer to producer. Much like gins are produced with different varieties of botanicals to give them unique flavours and tasting notes. Vodkas can be produced to be drunk in different ways, some clean, precise vodkas suit a cocktail mix better than others. Some sit better with fruit flavours, others with more earthy tones. Konik’s Tail is different as it encapsulates the character of its maker. It was made for the love of the ingredients and with the focus on tradition. “I like to say I started with nothing and I’ve still got most of that left, you know, I’m not a rich man, I’m not some big-city banker who’s made shed loads of money and decided to go into the vodka business. I do it because I love it, everything I get from selling, masterclasses, etc is enough for me to pay the farmers and make another batch. You love it, you put your heart in that bottle, it’s very much me inside the bottle. It’s been incredible.” This is something that comes through in the spirit, it is created to express those grains and allow us to savour the unique flavour that each one adds to the layers of the drink. These are often picked out from the nose of the vodka with it having a similar smell profile to some gins. Earthy scents like leaves and grass mixed with slight citrus or floral essence.

Due to the complex nature of this wonderful spirit it is recommended to enjoy neat, over ice, or the more traditional Russian way of slightly warm. If it’s going into a cocktail it has to be a classic, and what's more classic than a martini. Serve it however you prefer, two and a half shots stirred down or shaken with ice. Wet, leave some vermouth in or swirl it around and out for a dry. Add a twist of lemon to bring out the citrus notes or a few olives for the rich creaminess. Dirty your drink up by adding some olive brine or go gibson and add a sweet silver skin onion to finish. Any way you want it, do it with Konik’s Tail, a vodka with deep and complex roots at the heart of it. Brought to you by a fantastic and dedicated man who has made it his mission to produce a truly wonderful spirit, through the toughest adversity he shows us that character and heart not only maketh the man but also his spirit.

Pleurat regularly does talks, tasting, and masterclasses all across Europe as he explains, “obviously Poland: UK, France, Italy, Spain, Greece and I’m going to start US now. So US will be: New York, Illinois, California and Florida. I’ll be doing a full tour of the US, I already have all the top bars and hotels signed up, everyone is waiting to take it.” So do make sure to go and follow his Instagram page @konikstail for all the updates on future events. For UK residents you can already get your hands on a bottle for yourself from Selfridges, Coal and Mason, Harrods, Harvey Nicks, certain independent stores, and select Waitrose stores! It’s on its way to the US as we speak so if your stateside keep an eye out in your favourite bars and hotels in the near future.