Hembränt /Hembrant

Hembränt is a common name for Finland's home-distilled spirits that are usually made from potatoes or sugar. Production of Hembrant is illegal, but it is still very popular and produced in many households, especially in Finland's countryside. It has a characteristic strong smell due to the high alcohol content of up to 90%. Hembränt is known in Russian as Samogon and is also called Pontikka (owing this name to the cheap and poor-quality French wine from Pontacq), Skogsstjärnan (forest star), Tuliliemi (fire sauce ), Kotipolttoinen (home burnt) or Chateau de Garage.