Ah, Lockdown 2.0. It seems the inevitable is upon us. Alas, all we can do is try and keep our spirits high, drink less but better and crack on with it. One thing I’ve been delving into a lot more recently is vodka! It seems working from home has allowed my mixology skills to flare and having just judged around 200 of these wonders a few months ago, I’ve been inspired to jump back into my vodka discovery days.
With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of 7 extremely versatile vodkas that work perfectly for creating everything from Martinis and Bloody Mary’s to simply drinking them neat. How should you drink your vodka? However you bladdy want to!
Ramsbury Vodka
Tucked away in the fertile lands of Wiltshire, Rambsury vodka is produced from the estates very own Horatio wheat and chalk filtered water – both of which are taken from their own land. Horatio wheat is typically used to bake biscuits, giving it an incredibly smooth profile and complex character. Dried fruits, cocoa and caramel are found on the palate with a creamy texture on the mouthfeel. It’s all a bit oo-la-la if you ask me, in a good way. This in a Bloody Mary… woah!
Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Buy for £35
Belvedere Heritage 176
A brand we’ve known for a long time and for all of the right reasons, this Polish gem is the newest expression to grace our spirit shelves from Belvedere. Polska Rye and purified water are what go into the bottle; nothing more, nothing less. What’s most intriguing is how they’ve decided to revisit a malting process that is centuries-old to perfect the taste. Allow me to geek out for a second – this is essentially done by steeping the barley, drying it in a kiln so it then becomes malted and thus allowing it to be fermented as the starches are broken down into fermentable sugars. I told you I was going to go a little geeky… The end result? A fabulous malted rye spirit. Full-bodied with so much texture, there are pure notes of honey, almonds, walnuts and distinct baking spice.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Buy Now £42
The Reid Single Malt
In 2011 a talented craftswoman by the name of Desiree Whitaker thought to herself, ‘you know what? I want to own a distillery”. So, doing what any ambitious spirit-lover would do, she went about building. Fast-forward 9 years and she’s got a portfolio of stunning drinks, all of which call New Zealand their home and have travelled internationally to grace our glasses. The subject of today’s conversation, their Reid Single Malt vodka is produced from 100% malted barley, giving a pure, smooth flavour profile. You can expect to find hints if pear drops, biscuits, toffee and a huggingly sensational mouthfeel as the texture wraps itself around your tongue. Not gonna lie, I’m kind of in love with the bottle too. Simple, yet elegant.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 44%
Buy Now £54
Absolut Elyx
This bounty is distilled from a single estate in southern Sweden and produced from soft winter wheat that gives the unique and distinct profile on taste. Forget burn, this is smooth as smooth can be, with baked bread, dry spice and an incredible nuttiness showcasing macadamia nuts, walnuts and hazelnuts upon taking a sip. Vibrant, sophisticated and quite frankly, sexy. Drink neat or knock up a martini for a little tipple treat.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 42.3%
Buy Now £35
Crystal Head
Deemed by many as the worlds ‘purest’ vodka, Crystal Head sources it’s water from a natural aquifer hidden on a remote island named St John Newfoundland (basically the most Eastern point in North America). Peaches and cream corn are distilled four times before being filtered seven times and finally triple-filtered through a cone of Herkimer Diamonds. Sounds kind of classy, tastes kind of beautiful.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Buy Now £40
Grey Goose
Arguably one of the most famous vodkas in the world and for good reason. Grey Goose couldn’t be any ‘Frenchier’ (not quite sure if that’s a word but hey, we’re going with it).
Firstly, they use soft winter wheat grown on the doorstep of their distillery. This is then distilled in Picardy before being sent to Cognac for filtration. But wait, there’s more. The water they use to make this beauty is filtered through limestone from the Champagne region, you know, just if you had any final doubts of its authenticity.
A chap called François Thibault is the cellar master, and given he’s been doing this for as long as he has, you can trust you’re in safe hands. De-mineralisation of the water, 5 column stills for distillation and a bunch of other purification and rectification methods are all part of the process. To top things off, the inside of every bottle is washed once with Grey Goose alongside every cork being macerated in the vodka too.
The result? Delicate floral aromas on the nose with a sweet, creamy toffee and brioche flavour. Throughout my journey, I have never been let down by this vodka. Long may that continue!
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Buy Now £35
Chase Vodka
Here’s a vodka from England and it’s the only one to be produced from 100 per cent estate-grown potatoes. Celebrating their 10-year anniversary this year, they’ve perfected the vodka craft. Forget mashed, roasted or baked – this is the kind of potato creation you want to be sipping on. Creamy black pepper, macadamia nuts with a light earthy potato from start to finish, this vodka works perfectly with a little elderflower liqueur
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Buy Now £32
Enjoyed this? Check out our favourite vodka’s for under £30!