Top 10 Distilleries in Ukraine
Ukraine is one of Eastern Europe's great grain-growing nations, and its distilling tradition reflects that agricultural identity. Horilka — the Ukrainian word for vodka, derived from the verb "to burn" — has been produced in Ukraine since at least the 15th century, using rye, wheat, and later potato as base materials. The Ukrainian horilka tradition diverges from Russian vodka in several respects: honey-infused horilka (horilka z medom) and pepper-infused variants (horilka z perytsem) have been central to Ukrainian distilling culture in ways that have no Russian equivalent, and the use of fruit — particularly cherries and plums — in flavoured spirits production is deeply embedded in Ukrainian rural life.
Ukraine's spirits industry before 2022 was significant in scale: the country was among the top ten spirits producers in the world by volume, with several large distillery complexes producing for both domestic consumption and export to the Russian and former Soviet markets. The industry has faced extraordinary challenges since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022, with several distilleries damaged or forced to relocate production. Despite these circumstances, Ukrainian distillers have continued operating, with many pivoting to producing technical alcohol for wartime needs alongside their regular production. Use the distillery map to understand the geographic distribution of Ukraine's spirits producers.
1. Global Spirits / Khortytsia Distillery, Zaporizhzhia
Khortytsia is Ukraine's largest vodka brand and one of the best-selling vodka brands in the world by volume, produced by Global Spirits, which operates production facilities across Ukraine. The flagship Khortytsia vodka is named after Khortytsia Island in the Dnieper River at Zaporizhzhia — the historical heartland of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, whose culture is central to Ukrainian national identity. The vodka is produced from winter wheat and rye grain spirit, filtered through activated charcoal in the classical Ukrainian method. The Zaporizhzhia region's position in the heavy fighting zone of the war has made continued production extremely challenging, and Global Spirits has relocated aspects of its operations to safer western Ukrainian facilities.
2. Nemiroff Distillery, Vinnytsia
Nemiroff is Ukraine's leading premium vodka brand and one of the most internationally recognised Ukrainian spirits brands, distributed in over 80 countries. The Vinnytsia-based company produces its vodka from winter wheat grown in the Podillia region of west-central Ukraine, using a soft water source and multiple distillation and filtration steps. Nemiroff's flavoured vodkas — particularly the honey and pepper expressions, building on the traditional horilka z medom tradition — have been commercially successful in export markets. The Vinnytsia location in west-central Ukraine has been relatively less affected by the conflict than eastern Ukrainian cities, allowing production to continue with less disruption.
3. Ukrspirt (State Enterprise), Multiple Locations
Ukrspirt is the Ukrainian state enterprise responsible for the production of rectified grain spirit — the high-proof base alcohol used in Ukrainian vodka, liqueur, and other spirits production. The company operates multiple distilleries across Ukraine, many in agricultural areas of the Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, and Vinnytsia regions where grain is plentiful. Ukrspirt's role in the Ukrainian spirits ecosystem is foundational: as a supplier of base spirit to most Ukrainian vodka and spirits producers, its production capacity shapes the entire industry's output. Since 2022, Ukrspirt has also been a key supplier of technical alcohol for hand sanitiser, disinfectant, and medical use as part of Ukraine's civilian war response.
4. Catalyst Distillery, Lviv
Lviv, Ukraine's western cultural capital and the city most accessible to international visitors throughout the conflict period, is home to Catalyst Distillery — a craft distillery that has become one of Ukraine's most exciting new spirits producers. Founded in 2019, Catalyst produces single malt whisky from Ukrainian barley and a range of craft gins using Ukrainian botanicals including wormwood (Artemisia absinthium — also the key botanical in vermouth and absinthe), mountain herbs from the Carpathian foothills, and locally grown citrus. Lviv's vibrant bar and restaurant culture provides a natural home market, and Catalyst has been expanding export distribution to European markets interested in supporting Ukrainian producers.
5. Shabo Winery and Distillery, Odesa Region
Near the coastal city of Odesa in southern Ukraine, the Shabo estate produces both wine and brandy from vineyards in the Shabo terroir — a distinctive Black Sea coastal zone with chernozem soils and a warm, semi-arid climate suited to viticulture. Shabo brandy is produced by double distillation of estate wine in copper pot stills, following French Cognac-inspired methods, with aging in French Limousin oak casks. The estate's vineyards are planted with international varieties including Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Sauvignon, which produce wines with good acidity and aromatic intensity well suited to distillation. Shabo is one of the few Ukrainian producers with a clearly articulated terroir-focused approach to brandy.
6. Artisan Spirits Ukraine / Kyiv Craft Distillers, Kyiv
A cluster of Kyiv-based craft distillers emerged in the years before 2022 as part of the broader global craft spirits movement, producing small-batch vodka, gin, and whisky for the capital's sophisticated bar and restaurant market. The Kyiv craft distilling scene has been severely disrupted by the war — some producers have temporarily relocated, others have continued under difficult conditions — but several are attempting to maintain production as a statement of cultural continuity. These distillers draw on Ukrainian grain agriculture and Carpathian botanical resources to produce spirits with a distinctly local identity, positioned as premium alternatives to imported international brands for the domestic market.
7. Zlata Balka Winery, Kherson Region
Zlata Balka, located in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine — a heavily contested area of the conflict — was one of Ukraine's largest wine producers and also operated a brandy distillery processing its estate wine into grape brandy for aging. The Kherson region's continental steppe climate and sandy soils produced distinctive wines that translated into a particular brandy style. The distillery and winery have been severely affected by the conflict in their region, with production impossible to continue normally. Zlata Balka's situation illustrates the devastating impact of the war on the Ukrainian agricultural and food economy, including its spirits industry, in the most affected regions.
8. Pervak Traditional Spirits, Multiple Locations
Pervak is a Ukrainian brand specialising in traditional horilka styles — particularly honey-infused horilka z medom and the traditional Ukrainian fruit-flavoured spirit category. The name "pervak" in Ukrainian refers to the first-run distillate — the spirit that comes off the still first, equivalent to what Scottish distillers call the foreshots, though in Ukrainian folk tradition the first-run spirit was valued rather than discarded. Pervak's commercial products capture the traditional Ukrainian approach to flavoured grain spirit, emphasising natural ingredient quality and authentic recipes drawn from regional Ukrainian folk production. The brand has been particularly active in promoting Ukrainian spirits culture internationally during the conflict period.
9. Carpathian Distillery, Zakarpattia Oblast
The Zakarpattia Oblast in far western Ukraine — bordering Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania in the Carpathian mountain zone — has a distinctly different spirits culture from central or eastern Ukraine, reflecting its complex history as part of Austro-Hungarian Galicia and later Czechoslovakia. The Carpathian Distillery in this region produces palynka (the local name for the Hungarian-Slovak fruit brandy tradition, equivalent to pálinca) from locally grown plums, pears, and apricots, as well as a range of herbal spirits using Carpathian mountain botanicals. The region's multicultural heritage — Ukrainian, Rusyn, Hungarian, Slovak, and Romanian communities coexist in close proximity — gives its spirits production a uniquely diverse character.
10. Heritage Ukrainian Horilka, Poltava Region
The Poltava region of central Ukraine — the heartland of Ukrainian wheat and grain agriculture, site of the 1709 Battle of Poltava that shaped the subsequent relationship between Ukraine and Russia — is the historical centre of Ukrainian horilka production. Traditional Poltava horilka is produced from rye and wheat, double-distilled in copper pot stills, and often rested in oak before bottling — a practice that gives the spirit a faint golden colour and softens its character. Several small producers in the Poltava region maintain this traditional approach, producing horilka for local consumption and for export as cultural heritage products. The Poltava region has remained largely under Ukrainian control throughout the conflict, allowing these traditional producers to continue operating.