liver didn't process it well.

think I've had the borscht version yet.

I'll start looking though.

This was maybe 35 years ago. Russian brand I thought. Or Eastern European. Cheapp vodka.

Sugar beets may be diverted to sugar rather than alcohol now.

Bad distillation can kill you.

Could well be. I got a couple of acne spots from it, and didn't recover from drinking for a couple days.

But beer does the same thing to me.

Now I stick to gin, though the latest domestic vodka hasn't bothered me. But i drink lightly if at all.

Boil and distill the second third, and toss the final third. Cheap bastards that want to increase profit toss out less than the required first third. That's where the methanol is.

All fermentation produces small amounts of methanol. But methanol boils at a lower temperature. So, if you boil off about a third, you'll get rid of most if not all the methanol. If you repeat the process you will improve the purity. Hence the double and triple distillations.

and I avoided vodka for 30+ years because of that

I remember it had a red and silver label

Thanks, Brewmaster!

my Ukrainian sister-in-law. What do you recommend?

Stolichnaya, if it must be Russian.

Luksusowa Potato, Russian Standard Special Edition and for something different made in the USA, Tito’s Handmade.

Oddly enough, Tito's last name is Beveridge.

it's my expensive looking/tasting cheap stuff. Otherwise, it's Skol. LOL.

since we're being sorted by our fearless leader now

Mmm.