Vodka

The great difficulty in identifying the origins of vodka comes from its ill-defined nature. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) defines vodka as “neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.” But vodka does have flavor and aroma—few are likely to mistake it for water. The way to make sense of this apparent contradiction is by understanding that vodka (except those types that are labeled “flavored”) is not made flavorful by being aged in barrels (like whiskey) or infused with herbs (like gin) or syrups (like liqueurs). It is distilled, filtered, and then bottled.