Maisie Bovingdon; 11 Aug 2020, 17:38; Updated: 13 Nov 2020, 12:02; Flavored vodka tends to get a bad rap, but if you get the right one, there is nothing better than throwing it in a glass with a little soda water and calling it a day. However, while there are more brands to sample than we could ever reasonably sip, there are a handful that are known for being consistently excellent. Festive spices and marzipan evolve into a cooling, herbal finish. It’s brilliantly clear with clean aromas of honeydew rind and ripe tomato. For its low price, Pinnacle offers an accessible vodka with an excellent taste that’s versatile enough to be enjoyed in a number of ways. The proof is double the alcohol by volume (ABV) measurement. Ciroc is undoubtedly one of the most distinct vodkas on the market, thanks to its distillation process and attention to detail. DIVA doesn’t use gold in its vodka production, but it does involve precious stones for a truly luxurious taste. An eclectic combination to be sure, then again, the state of the world would drive anyone to drink. It includes the Nordic states (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland), Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) as well as Russia, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine. It launched in New York in 1979 and has stuck to the same recipe throughout its entire production period. It’s a smooth vodka filled with character that comes at a good price. As well as being produced with an original Russian recipe, the spirit is filtered with diamonds. It’s thought that the Czar created it as the perfect-tasting vodka using a complex method involving solid gold pipes and infusing it with diamonds. If sipping vodka, pour it into a small tumbler for optimum flavour. This top-shelf vodka is renowned for being one of the smoothest on the market, and it’s a joy to sip it neat. Crystal Head contains no additives, glycerol, citrus oils or sugars, meaning that the taste of the vodka is entirely pure and authentic. Vodka is the one spirit that is truly international. All products featured in this article are independently selected by our editors. Supremely clean nose with unctuous liquorice, anise, and the tiniest touch of chocolate and walnut evolving on the palate. The original, unflavoured bottle is a popular choice around the world and one that works well as a standalone sipping vodka or mixed into cocktails. It’s very easy to drink, with a clean entry and a neutral, fresh mountain air nose. Smooth and luxurious; a gorgeously unctuous textured sweet nectar. Polar Ice Arctic Extreme vodka is Canada’s fourth best-selling vodka. This, combined with its premium taste and determination to use only the highest quality ingredients, positions the brand as our best overall vodka for 2020. Its expertise comes with thanks to its master distiller, who combines alpine spring water with French winter wheat. No time to read through our entire list? Halewood is a British based artisanal wine and spirits producer that operates 12 distilleries around the world. Delicately perfumed on the nose with a touch of almond. The result is an impossibly smooth spirit with hints of pear, citrus and honeysuckle. As a relatively straightforward spirit, vodka can be distilled from virtually anything. Or, keep it simple in a highball glass with a vodka soda or vodka tonic. Its low price point combined with ever-so-slight herbal notes makes it an excellent all-rounder no matter the occasion. The best vodka to buy Curio cocoa nib vodka Produced in a small craft distillery at Mullion in Cornwall, Curio has explored the idea of flavouring its spirits using some fairly unconventional flavours: cardamom, samphire and also Peruvian cocoa nibs, which bring a powerful, earthy, chocolatey note to the vodka. Pinnacle vodka is produced using French grain and water from the same region as Grey Goose. The top 10 brands sell about 100 million cases yearly. Seasoned with delicately nuanced notes of cherry, malted vanilla, stone fruit, and even a dusting of chocolate. Svedka, whose name is a combination of “Swedish” and “vodka”, is definitely a crowd-pleaser, with a bottle that’s inexpensive but promises to mix well. Some common favourites are the Cosmopolitan, Martini, Bloody Mary, Gimlet and White Russian. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world, EY & Citi On The Importance Of Resilience And Innovation, How Digital Workflows Helped Save Basketball During The Pandemic, Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change, Michigan Economic Development Corporation With Forbes Insights, Trump’s Scotch Whisky Tariffs Might End Thanks To ‘Mini’ U.K. Trade Deal, These Booze-Filled Treats Make Great Gifts, Forget The Standard, Liquor Store Boozy Selection Of Gifts; Instead, Give One Of These Wild, Wacky And Wonderful Presents, Holiday Wine Books That Will Inspire Your Drinking And Learning, Want To Be Ludacris’ Friend? The high starch content of this rye yields a velvety soft level to the vodka, confirming its spot at the top. I also earned the Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the WSET. This Vodka … Russo-Baltique’s vodka comes with a hectic past: one bottle was stolen from Copenhagen’s vodka museum, Cafe 33, while another was debuted in Netflix series House of Cards. The best way to bring out the flavours of this vodka is to enjoy it with a mildly-strong mixer. Best vodka for a Cosmopolitan: Crystal Head. It comes decorated with almost two thousand diamonds set in gold and, despite the price tag, is sold out worldwide. It’s a quadruple distilled, three-time filtered vodka, and is produced at the Hiram Walker and Sons distillery in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The majority of plain vodkas – and almost all Russian vodkas – are created with wheat, while Polish vodka favours rye and Finnish vodka goes for barley. Beautifully poised with excellent weight this is decadent and truly outstanding vodka. Sip it chilled, top it up with soda or mix it into a cocktail; it’s impossible to go wrong with Absolut vodka. Beluga is created at the Mariinsk Distillery, in the heart of Siberia; one of the most environmentally clean and tranquil areas of Russia. And although we’ve done our best to dispel … Luxuriously ripe red fruits, crumbled marvelously into Autumnal garden essence. Stylish, bold and absolutely superb. These are the best top-shelf vodka brands for drinking straight and making cocktails, including Belvedere, Grey Goose and Cîroc. While most vodkas might be regarded as neutral, they still aren’t technically neutral spirits. This vodka has a huge 192 Proof or 96% ABV and is made up of premium ethyl alcohol with an agricultural cereal origin. Poland may be best known for potato vodkas, but Sobieski Vodka (popularly called Sobi) is a great Polish rye vodka. It’s so smooth that it’s almost creamy, with hints of vanilla throughout and a unique bottle to display it in. Along the way I became a winemaker, Oregon Pinot Noir; a judge for various international, I have been writing and speaking about wines and spirits for 20 years. Skyy vodka is one of the first vodkas made entirely with U.S-sourced grains and water. Here are the best vodka picks for 2020. Neutral spirit: A term for a spirit that’s without distinctive character, aroma, taste or colour. For its price, this vodka is smooth and enjoyable, with its stylish bottle and classic aroma. It’s possible to flavour vodka with almost anything, ranging from more traditional (artificial) fruits to unique and creative offerings like salted caramel, bacon or chocolate. Inspired by traditional Russian filtering methods, this premium vodka is great for drinking straight or in cocktails! It’s one of the creamiest vodkas available, with a clear, grainy nose and a peppery palate with a hint of star anise. Unlike many vodkas on the market, Absolut contains no added sugar. Nor did any American brands make the list. Created by the brand’s Head Distiller, it’s a vodka produced using fog catchers around the San Francisco Bay Area that turn the fog into fresh water, before blending with vodka distilled from Napa’s Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier wine. It’s a popular choice behind the bar and its high quality makes it an excellent vodka for sipping neat or mixing into a cocktail. Belvedere is the result of 600 years of Polish vodka-making tradition. If you are on a tight budget you may want to buy one of the less expensive brands. Per the distillery, the vodka is inspired by Canada’s pristine Arctic north and utilizes a unique, 6° C chill filtration process designed to produce an exceptionally smooth vodka. The flavour profile of Skyy vodka makes it a great base for a Martini, too. House of Suntory reservebar.com. We have compiled a list of the top 10 best … Tayport’s vodka is based on a mash bill of malted barley. According to the company, it is then “filtered through birch charcoal and silver ions for smoothness and exceptional clarity.”. It’s a popular vodka worldwide, known for its iconic apothecary bottle and gentle, wheat aroma. Its high alcohol base means that Spirytus certainly comes with a bite and should not be drunk without being heavily diluted first. Drink it neat for best results. Belvedere, originating from Poland, is produced at the Polmos Zyrardow distillery (known as the birthplace of all vodka) using Dankowskie Gold Rye. Have tasted a lot of wines and spirits, from 200-year-old ports to centuries old Cognacs to many of the world’s oldest whiskies. Freezing the vodka will remove any harsh flavours and softens the aroma and taste. Though technically an unflavoured vodka, Crystal Head is famous for its sweetness. Mamont Vodka is a six-time distilled Russian vodka made at the Itkul distillery in the Altai region of Siberia from locally grown, malted, white winter wheat. 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