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Brännvin, a Swedish word; the Norwegian word brennevin and the Finnish word (palo)viina, are general terms for distilled beverages from potatoes or grain, which may or may not be flavored. This includes akvavit and vodka. The name "brännvin" means "burnwine"; sometimes the distillation of beverages is called "burning". It has the same linguistic roots as the English brandy and the German term Branntwein, which originally had same meaning like its Scandinavian counterpart.
In modern German, however, Branntwein is a fiscal term and applies only to aged and unaged distilled wine products (not exclusively to grape brandies though, also to distilled wines made from other fruit). The definition of Branntwein is used in german law to specify which products are to be taxed as Branntwein (as opposed to as Beer, as Sparkling Wine or as Alcohol not meant for human consumption.) The term is very similar to Weinbrand, the formal German term for aged grape brandy. Both terms literally mean "burnt wine".
Beverages branded "brännvin"/"viina" are usually unflavoured and with an alcoholic content by volume between 30 and 38%. EU regulations reserve the name "vodka" for beverages distilled up to at least 95% and a final content of at least 37.5%. Within Finland, the word viina is always used for Finnish made neutral spirits, including Finnish vodka, since the originally Russian word vodka is only used for vodkas from other countries. The term vodka also wasn't used for Swedish vodkas before 1958. There is also an Icelandic version, called Brennivín, which is similar to Danish and Swedish akvavit.
[edit] Brands of brännvin/viina
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