Samogon is a traditional Russian spirit or moonshine, whatever you want to call it. In the process, the mash made from grain is distilled twice, after which it is filtered, diluted and bottled. While standard vodka is made by column distilled, around 95% ABV rectified spirit, which is diluted with water, the strength of samogon after two distillations is somewhere around 65-75%. This way, more of the flavor of the raw material remains in the distillate, as well as the oils and other by-products.

Although samogon is a traditional Russian spirit, Derevenskij is produced in Lithuania by a distillery belonging to MV Group. Spenicnij means wheat, which is what this product is made from. The same distillery also produces samogon made from rye, barley and a mixture of different grains, as well as other flavored spirits. A 50 cl bottle cost €11.99 in Latvia.

The product is slightly oily and the cloudiness becomes more pronounced if you add a splash of water to the glass. The smell has a grainy mash, with some yeast aromas remaining. The taste is sharp in the beginning, but the alcohol burn is short. The taste is very similar to the smell. Grain, malted grain, fermented mash, a little yeast. Fruity nuances also appear in the aftertaste. After the initial sharpness, the taste becomes sweeter and the aftertaste is already quite smooth. There are plenty of different nuances in the taste and which are impossible to describe. You will probably either like the taste or hate it. For those who are used to pure vodka, the taste is certainly chewy enough and the original, fermented grain taste also follows in the cocktails. The taste is also rather different from the moonshine made from sugar mash. This has more of a brown-bread, malt-like grainy aroma. The taste doesn’t change much, even if you dilute it with water in a 1:1 ratio. An original and interesting product indeed, also it feels professionally made.

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