Soplica

Soplica is a Polish alcoholic-beverage brand best known for clear vodka and fruit- and dessert-flavoured nalewki, a category of sweetened infusions associated with Polish drinking culture. The brand traces its commercial origin to 1891, when Bolesław Michał Kasprowicz introduced Soplica at the Vodka and Liqueur Factory he had established in Gniezno in 1888. This makes Soplica one of Poland’s older continuously recognized industrial vodka brands, although Polish vodka traditions and recipes themselves are much older. Kasprowicz’s enterprise grew rapidly in its early years and produced both spirits and liqueurs. Before the First World War, the factory and its products received numerous awards in Poland and abroad. Its identity was strongly connected with Polish cultural references: products carried Kasprowicz’s initials and a carp emblem, while names and label imagery drew on national history and literature. The manor-house image used on modern Soplica packaging is associated with the Polish szlachta tradition and with the cultural world evoked by Adam Mickiewicz’s epic poem Pan Tadeusz. The factory suspended activity during the First World War. Kasprowicz later returned to management in 1920 after serving in public life, including as president of Gniezno in 1919. During the German occupation of Poland in the Second World War, he was deported to Warsaw and died there in 1943. The original business’s early history is therefore closely tied to the political upheavals that shaped modern Poland. Soplica’s portfolio combines traditional, relatively high-strength products with a broad range of sweeter flavoured spirits. The core pure vodkas are generally sold at 40% alcohol by volume, while Soplica Spirytus Nalewkowy is a separate higher-strength spirit at approximately 60% ABV. Flavoured variants are commonly positioned as nalewki and are typically offered at about 27% ABV. Flavours have included raspberry, cherry, hazelnut, quince, blackcurrant, plum, walnut, strawberry, blueberry, mirabelle, lemon, coffee, cranberry, apple, apricot, and combinations involving chocolate, caramel, honey, mint, or floral notes. The brand’s modern production is associated with Polmos Łańcut in southeastern Poland. Soplica was acquired by Maspex in 2022, bringing it into one of Poland’s largest food and beverage groups. Under Maspex ownership, the brand remains an active Polish spirits label with a portfolio that spans traditional vodka, stronger spirit products, and accessible flavoured offerings. Its positioning rests on historical continuity, Polish cultural identity, recognizable packaging, and a wide choice of fruit, nut, citrus, and confectionery-inspired profiles.

Soplica’s documented history begins with Bolesław Michał Kasprowicz, who founded the Fabryka Wódek i Likierów w Gnieźnie, or Vodka and Liqueur Factory in Gniezno, in 1888. Three years later, in 1891, the factory produced the first bottle of Soplica clear vodka. A surviving replica of that bottle is held by the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno. Kasprowicz came from Czempiń in the Greater Poland region and became an important figure in the early Polish alcohol trade. The Gniezno factory expanded quickly. Within several years it had become a substantial operation, processing large quantities of pure spirit and producing vodkas and liqueurs for the Polish market and for international competitions. Between the company’s establishment and 1913, its products received 73 awards, including four gold medals. Across the first half-century of the factory’s existence, from 1888 to 1939, the business accumulated 93 medals and distinctions according to the brand’s historical account. Kasprowicz’s career extended beyond distilling. During the First World War, the factory ceased operations, while Kasprowicz participated in efforts connected with Poland’s restoration as an independent state after 123 years of partition. He became president of Gniezno in 1919 and returned to managing his factory in 1920. The Second World War brought another rupture. Under the German occupation, the Nazi authorities deported Kasprowicz to Warsaw, where he died in 1943. The brand’s heritage is expressed through recipes, symbols, and naming conventions attributed to Kasprowicz. He recorded formulas in a handwritten recepturarz, or recipe book. Products from his factory used the initials B.K. and a carp image, and their names referenced Polish traditions and literature. Modern Soplica labels retain a manor-house motif, commonly interpreted as a reference to the Polish noble estate and the cultural setting associated with Pan Tadeusz. In the contemporary period, Soplica developed beyond its original clear vodka into a broad portfolio of flavoured nalewki. The range includes fruit profiles such as raspberry, cherry, quince, plum, strawberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, mirabelle, apple, cranberry, apricot, and lemon. It also includes nut, coffee, chocolate, caramel, honey, mint, and floral combinations. The standard vodka products are generally 40% ABV, while flavoured products are commonly around 27% ABV and the separate nalewka spirit is approximately 60% ABV. Modern Soplica production is associated with Polmos Łańcut in Łańcut, in Poland’s Podkarpackie Voivodeship. In 2022, Maspex acquired the brand. Soplica is consequently part of the Maspex Group while continuing to operate as a distinct heritage spirits label. Its current identity balances historical Polish provenance with a wide and accessible flavour portfolio.

1. 2022Maspex acquires Soplica

   Soplica became part of Maspex, while production continued through Polmos Łańcut.

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2. 1920Kasprowicz returns to factory management

   After his civic service, Kasprowicz resumed his role managing the distillery.

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3. 1919Kasprowicz becomes president of Gniezno

   Kasprowicz took office as president of Gniezno during the period of Poland’s restored independence.

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4. 1913Early award record established

   By 1913, Kasprowicz’s vodkas and liqueurs had received 73 awards, including four gold medals.

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5. 1891First Soplica bottle produced

   The first documented Soplica clear vodka was produced and introduced to the Polish market.

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6. 1888Kasprowicz establishes the Gniezno distillery

   Bolesław Michał Kasprowicz founded the Vodka and Liqueur Factory in Gniezno, the industrial base from which Soplica emerged.

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A heritage Polish spirits brand combining traditional vodka credentials with a broad, approachable range of sweetened fruit, nut, citrus, and dessert-style nalewki.

• Soplica Szlachetna WódkaPure vodka

  The brand’s principal pure-vodka expression, presented as a traditional Polish clear vodka. It represents Soplica’s connection to the original 1891 product tradition and is generally sold at 40% ABV.

• Soplica StaropolskaTraditional vodka

  A vodka positioned around an old-Polish or traditional character. Its name reinforces Soplica’s use of Polish historical and cultural references in product presentation.

• Soplica Spirytus NalewkowyHigh-strength spirit

  A separate, higher-strength spirit in the Soplica range, listed at approximately 60% ABV. It is distinct from the standard 40% vodka and is associated with the preparation or appreciation of nalewka-style drinks.

• Soplica fruit nalewkiFlavoured spirits

  A broad family of sweetened flavoured spirits, commonly offered at about 27% ABV. Documented flavours include raspberry, cherry, quince, blackcurrant, plum, strawberry, blueberry, mirabelle, lemon, apricot, apple, and cranberry.

• Soplica nut and dessert flavoursFlavoured spirits

  Flavoured variants built around hazelnut, walnut, coffee, chocolate, almond, caramel, and related confectionery notes. These products extend the brand beyond conventional fruit nalewki into sweeter after-dinner and cocktail-oriented profiles.

• 2022Maspex acquisition of SoplicaM&A

  Soplica was an established Polish vodka and flavoured-spirit brand with historical roots in Gniezno and contemporary production associated with Polmos Łańcut.

  What changed. Maspex acquired the Soplica brand and incorporated it into its broader food and beverage group.

  Aftermath. Soplica remained an active standalone brand in Maspex’s portfolio, with its established vodka and nalewka range continuing to be manufactured by Polmos Łańcut.

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• 2022Maspex acquires the Soplica brand

  Maspex acquired Soplica, adding the established Polish vodka and flavoured-spirit brand to its beverage portfolio. Soplica products are manufactured by Polmos Łańcut.

  M&A
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1. Soplica