Polmos (
acronym
An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
for ''Polski Monopol Spirytusowy'', Polish Spirits Monopoly) was a Polish
state-owned monopoly, controlling the Polish market for
alcoholic beverages
Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic.
Many societies have a di ...
.
Founded in the late 1920s, until
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it was one of the leading
vodka
Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
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 by the government of the
People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
. 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 (rendered 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 wh ...
and none of them remains fully state-owned.
Among the companies descended from Polmos are:
* Akwawit-Polmos
Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
– owner and producer of
vodka
Vodka ( ; is a clear distilled beverage, distilled alcoholic beverage. Its varieties originated in Poland and Russia. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is ...
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 countr ...
(95% or 96%)
* Polmos
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
– owner and producer of vodka brands ''
Wyborowa, Wyborowa Exquisite, Goldwasser''
* Polmos
Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...
– owner and producer of vodka brands ''
Luksusowa,
Siwucha''
* Polmos
Starogard Gdański
Starogard Gdański (; until 1950: ''Starogard''; formerly ) is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants (2004). Starogard is the capital of Starogard County.
Founded in the Middle Ages, Starogard is a city with ...
– part o
Premium Distillers(subsidiary of United Beverages S.A.), owner of the brand ''
Krupnik'', producer of vodka brand ''
Sobieski''
* Polmos in
Siedlce
Siedlce () ( ) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants ().
The city is situated between two small rivers, the Muchawka and the Helenka, and lies along the European route E30, around east of Warsaw. It is ...
– owner and producer of vodka brand ''
Chopin''
*
Polmos Białystok – owner and producer of ''
Absolwent,
Żubrówka'', and other brands
* Polmos
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała (; ; , ; ) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 166,765 as of December 2022, making it the List of cities and towns in Poland#Largest cities and towns by population, 22nd largest city in Poland, and an a ...
– owner and producer of vodka brand ''Extra Żytnia'' (formerly known as ''Żytnia'')
* Polmos
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
– owner of PLO vodka brands
* Polmos
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
– owner of vodka brand ''
Cracovia''
* Polmos
Lublin
Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
– owner of vodka brands ''
Żołądkowa Gorzka'' and ''Lubelska''
*
Polmos Łańcut
The Polmos Łańcut distillation, 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 Unite ...
– part o
Premium Distillers(subsidiary of United Beverages S.A.)
* Polmos
Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
– owner of the brand ''Prezydent''
* Polmos
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
– 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 – owner of the brands ''Jarzębiak'' and ''Ratafia''
* Polmos
Szczecin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...
– producer of aged vodka ''
Starka'' and
gin ''Pomorski''
* Polmos
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
– 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 in the Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw.
Etymology
Żyrardów, initially a textile settleme ...
– 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