Polmos (
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...
for ''Polski Monopol Spirytusowy'', Polish Spirits Monopoly) was a Polish
state-owned monopoly, controlling the Polish market for
alcoholic beverages
An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...
.
Founded in the late 1920s, until
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
it was one of the leading
vodka
Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...
producers in Poland. Distilleries of Polmos were relatively modern and efficient at that time so the company exported its products to some European countries.
After the war the company became an absolute monopoly and, like other distilleries, was
nationalized
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to priv ...
by the government of the
People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
. The newly created monopoly adopted the name ''Polmos''.
After the
fall of communism in 1989, the monopoly was divided into several independent enterprising entities, each owning one of the distilleries and one or two of the brands of the alcoholic drinks. All such established companies have been
privatised
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
and none of them remains fully state-owned.
Among the companies descended from Polmos are:
* Akwawit-Polmos
Wrocław
Wrocław (; , . german: Breslau, , also known by other names) is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly ...
– owner and producer of
vodka
Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuriti ...
brands ''Wratislavia, Krakus, Abstynent, Arktica, Faust'', and
rectified spirit
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countri ...
(95% or 96%)
* Polmos
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
– owner and producer of vodka brands ''
Wyborowa
Wyborowa (the feminine of the Polish adjective ''wyborowy'' 'fine') or Wódka Wyborowa is a brand of Polish vodka. The adjective was used in a favorable press article and then added after the word ''wódka'' 'vodka', resulting in the final name ...
, Wyborowa Exquisite, Goldwasser''
* Polmos
Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (2021). Zielona Góra has a favourable geographical position, being close to the Polish-German border and on several international road ...
– owner and producer of vodka brands ''
Luksusowa
Luksusowa Vodka ( pl, Wódka luksusowa) is a brand of vodka from Poland that is distilled from potatoes. The Polish word ''luksusowa'' means "luxury"; thus in English-language markets, it is also referred to as ''Luksusowa Luxury Vodka''.
Luksuso ...
,
Siwucha
Siwucha () is an incompletely rectified vodka (raw vodka) from Poland. The name derives from the ''siwy'' (ash grey) color of the liquid due to Tyndall effect of the colloid emulsion of residual fusel oil.
History
Siwucha is one of the gene ...
''
* Polmos
Starogard Gdański
Starogard Gdański (; until 1950: ''Starogard''; csb, Starogarda; formerly german: Preußisch Stargard) is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants (2004).
Starogard is the capital of Starogard County. It is a ...
– part o
Premium Distillers(subsidiary of United Beverages S.A.), owner of the brand ''
Krupnik'', producer of vodka brand ''
Sobieski''
* Polmos in
Siedlce
Siedlce [] ( yi, שעדליץ ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship (1975–1998). The city is situated ...
– owner and producer of vodka brand ''
Chopin''
*
Polmos Białystok – owner and producer of '
Absolwent,
Żubrówka'', and other brands
* Polmos
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
– owner and producer of vodka brand ''Extra Żytnia'' (formerly known as ''Żytnia'')
* Polmos
Gdynia
Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...
- owner of PLO vodka brands
* Polmos
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
– owner of vodka brand ''
Cracovia''
* Polmos
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...
– owner of vodka brands ''
Żołądkowa Gorzka'' and ''Lubelska''
*
Polmos Łańcut
The Polmos Łańcut distillery is one of the oldest producers of liquors and liqueurs in Poland. A small amount of the distillery's output is exported to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States.
...
– part o
Premium Distillers(subsidiary of United Beverages S.A.)
* Polmos
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
– owner of the brand ''Prezydent''
* Polmos
Toruń
)''
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg
, image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg
, nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town
, pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...
– owner of the brand ''Copernicus'', producer of ''
Slivovitz
Slivovitz is a fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) made from damson plums, often referred to as plum spirit (or plum brandy). If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please ...
''
* Polmos
Sieradz
Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivod ...
– owner of the brands ''Jarzębiak'' and ''Ratafia''
* Polmos
Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
– producer of aged vodka ''
Starka'' and
gin ''Pomorski''
* Polmos
Warszawa
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
– producer of rectified spirit
* Polmos
Żyrardów
Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999); previously, it was in Skierniewice Voivodesh ...
– producer of vodka ''
Belvedere''
External links
Polmos WrocławPolmos ToruńPolmos SiedlcePolmos SzczecinPolmos Starogard Gdański - Destylarnia Sobieski S.A.Polmos Łańcut - Fabryka Wódek Polmos Łańcut S.A.Polmos Kraków - Destylarnia Polmos w Krakowie S.A.Polmos SieradzPolmos Żyrardów - Belveder Vodka
{{Authority control
Drink companies of Poland