🥃 Samohon
Samohon is a Ukrainian home-distilled strong spirit made without a licence; Article 176 of the Code of Administrative Offences sets liability, and nobody controls its composition or strength.
Samohon is a Ukrainian home-made strong spirit, distilled without a licence and without control. The word means “I distil it myself”. Under the current edition of the Code of Administrative Offences (Article 176), liability is provided for making and storing samohon and the apparatus for it. In practice, it is rarely applied.
Tradition. Samohon is closely tied to village life: it was prepared for holidays, exchanged and used for infusions. Lawyers therefore describe it as an age-old household phenomenon rather than a registered category of drinks, and at state level it remains an unregulated area. The raw material can vary: grain, sugar, fruit or root vegetables. There is no separate composition standard.
Law. Article 177 of the Code of Administrative Offences concerns buying home-made strong alcohol. In September 2020 MPs introduced bill No. 4153, which proposed repealing both articles and introducing requirements and taxation. The explanatory note says the courts heard 197 cases in 2018. It was a proposal, not an adopted law, so the current rules should be checked.
Risks. Home distillate has no control of its composition or strength. The main threat is impurities, including methanol, and an unknown strength. Symptoms of methanol poisoning at first resemble intoxication; if poisoning is suspected, urgent medical help is needed.
Why it matters to you. A drink of unknown origin cannot be considered safe just because it is “home-made”. It is safer to choose labelled drinks. The WHO reminds: there is no safe amount of alcohol.
Facts
| Raw material | varies: grain, sugar, fruit, root vegetables; no single standard |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (% vol.) | not regulated; depends on the producer |
| Legal basis | Articles 176 and 177 of the Code of Administrative Offences (liability for making, storing and buying) |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Samohon → kind of → 🥃 Ukrainian spirit traditions → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🥃 Methanol poisoning, 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Related to
- 🧑🤝🧑 Ukrainians
- Part of
- 🥃 Ukrainian spirit traditions
- Similar and different
- 🍸 Vodka, 🥃 Samanė, 🥃 Samanė
Frequently asked questions
Is samohon safer than shop vodka?
No. Home distillate is not controlled for composition or strength, so it carries a risk of impurities, including methanol.
Is samohon legal in Ukraine?
Article 176 of the Code of Administrative Offences provides liability for making and storing samohon and the apparatus. A 2020 bill proposed repealing it, but this was only a proposal; check the current wording.
What does the word samohon mean?
A drink that is “distilled by oneself”, that is, made at home by distillation, without a plant or a licence.
What is samohon made from?
The raw material varies: grain, sugar, fruit, root vegetables; there is no single composition standard.
How does samohon differ from vodka?
Vodka is a regulated industrial drink of at least 37.5% ABV with composition control; samohon has no such control.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍸 Vodka — Spirit drink made from ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin: in the EU from 37.5% vol., sugar up to 8 g/l, methanol up to 10 g/hl.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Ukrainians — An East Slavic people, the main population of Ukraine (77.8% according to the 2001 census); their dairy cuisine includes curd cheese, sour cream, ryazhenka and varenets, and sheep's milk brynza in the Carpathians.
- 🥃 Samanė — Samanė is a Lithuanian grain spirit with an EU protected name (category 3), registered on 13 February 2008 and on the UK register from 31 December 2020.
Similar
🥃 Tequila (town) · 🥃 Bardstown · 🥃 Paisaje Agavero · 🍷 Wine in Islam
Sources
- UNIAN: Deputies propose to cancel fines for making samohon for own needs — Bill No. 4153 (2020): repeal of Articles 176 and 177 of the Code of Administrative Offenses; 197 cases heard in courts in 2018, 80 persons penalised; proposal, not adopted law
- LB.ua (V. Kolomiiets): Samohon and Samopal and their influence on legal culture — liability under Article 176 of the Code of Administrative Offenses is rarely applied in practice
- Zaxid.net: People's deputies proposed to cancel fines for making samohon for own needs
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)