Polish liquor producer to launch country's first whisky brand
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
21.03.2016 11:33
A major Polish liquor producer is preparing to launch the country's first whisky brand, which will be named 'Jack Strong' after a famed Cold War spy.
Photo: sxc.hu
According to research firm Nielsen, Polish whisky consumption rose by 18 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year, with Poles spending PLN 1.4 billion [EUR 328.5 million] on the drink.
Distillery Akwawit-Polmos, which produces brands such as Krakus vodka, believes that Scottish-style whisky could offer rosy prospects for the company.
Polish drinking habits have changed dramatically in recent years. Vodka, which was the staple hard drink of the communist era, has seen a plummet in popularity.
Meanwhile, craft beers, wine and even cider are now doing a roaring trade in Poland.
Besides appealing to the domestic market, Akwawit-Polmos hopes to sell its whisky abroad. The liquor is due to go on sale this year.
Jack Strong was the pseudonym of one of the most famed spies of the Cold War, Ryszard Kukliński. The Polish colonel became disenchanted with the communist regime and risked his life smuggling military secrets to the Americans. He had to be spirited out of Poland to the US in 1981 with his entire family. An award-winning film, likewise called 'Jack Strong', was recently made about the colonel. (nh/pk)
Source: forbes.pl, rzeczpospolita