Vodka Museum Opens in Moscow
Russia has opened a vodka museum with more than 50,000 bottles of the national drink on display, Ananova reports.
The Moscow museum showcases many special versions of the drink, including some bottles produced more than two centuries ago.
There is also a collector’s edition made to commemorate those who died on the K-19 submarine and a hall dedicated to how Russians dealt with the difficult years of the USSR with hard drinking.
Boss Alexander Nikishin also offers visitors 10 different types of the national Russian drink to taste, and promises none of them are from illegal stills.
Every year hundreds of Russians die while drinking illegal distilled vodka sold on the black market.
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I lived in Istanbul, Turkey for some time where I witnessed shocking instances of black market food and drink production. In Turkey, the popular and traditional drink raki (for example) is manufactured on the black market due to its popularity and potential to make masses of money. This extends to dairy and meat products. The so called factories in which such produce is made is done in makeshift homes (not large scale commercial factories) and in the most appalling conditions. The black market raki drink is made using imitation drinking alcohol such as cleaning products containing alcohol and in containers (sometimes buckets) which are unclean. I have even seen turkish mafia produce cheese in unused toilet bowls. The black market raki drink is sold unknowingly to turkish consumers and many tourists. Coincidnetally, there has been many deaths associated with black market produce. The same applies to the distilled vodka to which this article refers. It is apparenet the government in turkey and perhaps russia is doing little to combat this crisis. This begs the question who is controlling who. Does the russian government control the mafia or is it vice versa. More needs to be done about the citizens of russia who belong to mafia. It is these people who are responsible for the black market production of food and other produce. It is a tradgedy that innocent russians suffer at the hands of those responsible.