Wonderful feasts were accompanied by a beverage called aqua vitae. This is the oldest name of vodka which comes from the Latin term meaning water of life. By a royal decree in 1572, the Polish nobility were granted exclusive rights to distill and sell vodka. At that time, the production was entrusted to local distillation masters who perfected the distilling methods, thereby the craftsmanship of the distillates was born and it spread throughout the Polish kingdom. On private estates belonging to famous noble Polish families, distillers perfected the art of producing spirits and vodkas. Particular care and attention was paid to the private inventory of liquor intended for the property owner and his guests. This select inventory, produced in very small quantities, was naturally the pride of the distillery and its recipe became the family’s secret. Multi-stage distillation, along with the use of selected sweet rye grains and refreshing spring water with special filtration and refining methods, made it possible to obtain a spirit of unprecedented quality.