White Spirit Martini, Shaken Not Stirred

As long as James Bond sticks to better quality vodkas he won’t have to change his drink order but for those whose pocketbook is better suited for the lower priced brands, things may be changing soon.

When Finland takes over the six-month European Union presidency next month, it plans to force some British-made brands to drop vodka from their labels and use “white spirit drink” instead.

In a move reminiscent of France’s objection over the use of the term champagne, the Finns argue that only drinks made from potatoes or grain can claim to be vodka.

I have to admit that I didn’t know that vodka was made with anything other than potatoes or grains but according to Wikipedia:

Vodka may be distilled from any starch/sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodka is made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining or wood pulp processing. In some Central European countries like Poland some vodka is produced by just fermenting a solution of crystal sugar and some salts for the yeast and distilling this after a few weeks.

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