Belvedere however use only real fruit and a proprietary process of maceration, that creates unique flavours deeply infused in the vodkas production. When we talked about flavoured vodkas before, we weren’t too enthusiastic, but thats because 90% of the flavoured vodka on the market is made by using oils and flavourings post production. It is truly an exceptional vodka that echoes the strength of Polands 600 year history of vodka production. One of the worlds first super-premium vodkas, Belvedere is produced exclusively in the Polish town of Żyrardów.
42 Below is an exceptionally smooth vodka, virtually free from impurity – and its two forays in flavoured vodka are unique – Kiwi & Manuka Honey. Little did Geoff know, its nearly impossible to make vodka in NZ. Founder Geoff Ross decided to create his own in the country he thought represented purity the best – his country, New Zealand. 42 Below was created in New Zealand out of anger that another top name brand was boasting the purity of its vodka & country of origin. A fresh and bright vodka, that has natural hints of citrus in the aroma and a slight almond aftertaste – making it a unique drinking experience from the two opposing flavours. Produced in France, Grey Goose is the self proclaimed “worlds best tasting vodka”. You cant talk about vodka without mentioning the most name checked vodka in hip-hop. With less of a focus on banging out flavour after flavour, Stoli is more focused on producing a clean, perfectly balanced vodka. Originating from Russia, but now produced in Latvia, Stoli (as its known) is very similar in social stature to Absolut, a premium spirit often used as a house vodka for higher end chains and independents. That doesn’t however mean that this makes Smirnoff bad, Belvedere for example is distilled four times, because it comes from rye, which can be very bold and spicy – its about distilling it the appropriate number of times to gain the optimum flavour. The more times a vodka has been distilled, the worse quality the base ingredients are. Also, it brings the opportunity to impart some vodka knowledge, Smirnoff is triple filtered right? So that makes it better? Not necessarily. Maybe not compared to some of the other vodkas on the list, but compare Smirnoff to the likes of Glenns or Red Square and you’ll quickly change your opinion. Often branded as a standard vodka, its easy to forget that Smirnoff is a premium product. The distinct black colouring doesn’t come from tampering after the batch is made, but is part of the distilling process Blavod uses ‘Catechu’ a herb extract from the root of Acacia trees – it has no effect on the flavour and doesn’t tamper with what is an exceptionally smooth vodka. Marketed as the worlds only true black vodka, it’s certainly unique. Often seen as a gimmicky vodka, suitable only for halloween parties or novelty cocktails, Blavod is actually a solid vodka. A clean, crisps vodka that is favoured for cocktails.
Which in turn echoes the worlds vision of Iceland’s reputation for purity and uniqueness. Reyka comes from Iceland (the country, duh) and is strictly made with pure spring water and filtered through rocks from a lava field, because according to their in-house science crew – makes it free from impurity.
Overall Absolut have a very solid product, a very clean vodka, with very little aftertaste and little to no burn.
If you venture in the flavoured vodka realm with Absolut, stick to ‘Vanilla’ & ‘Citron’. Flavoured vodka often gets a bad rap, for being gimmicky and a little pointless and some of Absolut’s latest flavours do little to correct that opinion – ‘Berri Acai’ or ‘Wild Tea’ anyone? Didn’t think so. This due in part to their clean swedish branding, a huge variety of flavours and tons of limited edition bottles & sleeves from commissioned artists and in celebration of key events. – AbsolutĪbsolut Vodka is the worlds largest international spirit, available in over 126 countries, they ship over 98 million litres a year. Here at Faux, we love our Vodka (maybe not as much as we love rum, but it’s close) so we saw fit to compile a list of our top 10 Vodkas from the world over. Its pretty safe to say that Vodka is the most consumed spirit in the world, from the paint thinner brews flogged for under £5 a litre in your local corner shop to the premium brands that dominate the shelves of the worlds best cocktail bars – its simple, versatile and unique in flavour. Everyone loves a good drink and wether you choose to burn your insides up with some certified tramp juice, such as Carlsberg Special Brew or White Lighting, or you hit the town every weekend to create a cocktail of Jagerbombs & cheap Vodka Redbull in your groaning stomach or simply spend your nights in your study room sipping on cognac and smoking fine cubans – we all love a good drink.