Jarzębiak Czysty is a Polish specialty vodka produced by the AWW Group (PHP Wiesław Wawrzyniak) of Kalisz, bottled at 40% ABV in a 1.75 l bottle. The brand was divided among the Polmos distilleries in July 1999 and fell to the plant in Sieradz; after its closure, the brand together with the original recipe was bought by the Kalisz factory.
The history of jarzębiak itself goes far back in Poland. It was one of the most popular fruit vodkas produced in the 1960s and 1970s in Zielona Góra; the author of the recipe used there was Jan Roenig, and the jarzębiak was awarded the "Q" class quality mark as well as a gold medal at the Monde Selection International Quality Competition in Athens in 1988. Vodka has a long history in Poland, reaching back to the 16th century.
The "clear" version differs from the traditional, coloured jarzębiak in the way it is composed. The producer offers Jarzębiak in two versions: the flavoured one – just like in the old days – and the "white" one, as a spirit drink with the addition of a small amount of wine distillate, whereby this recipe is meant to deliver a fine taste effect. The addition of wine distillate refines the spirit and, in combination with it, gives a delicate, mellow flavour.
The raw material base is in the producer's own hands. The company has its own cultivation areas, so almost all the ingredients used in production are its own – with the exception of the fruit for the nalewkas and liqueurs – and it distils and rectifies the spirit at its own plant. The plant also has access to water from its own deep wells. The profile of this expression is dry, and compared with the flavoured version it lacks the intense fruitiness and caramel colour, being led instead by the gentle finish of the wine distillate.