Top 10 value for money vodkas
Flavour is no longer the flavour of the week in vodka, and provenance and premium products are prevailing – igniting producer’s desire to reinvent the category.
This is our pick of the top 10 best value for money vodkas based on the results of The Global Vodka Masters 2015However if there’s a lesson to be learned from our Global Vodka Masters, it would be to keep it simple – innovating for the sake of innovating is futile.
Last month, The Spirits Business held its annual Global Vodka Masters, where an experienced panel of judges put some of the category’s finest offerings through their paces.
Looking across multiple categories, from Standard to Super-Premium, Organic to Smooth, with entrants from producers of all scales, the competition saw a number of vodka brands awarded Master medals for their superior quality.
While the individual scores of each entrant are not disclosed, these are 10 of the highest ranking medalists recognised in the competition, listed in no particular order.
Readers may notice that not all of these bottlings are standard priced, but have been judged to offer the offer excellent quality to consumers within their respective price categories.
Click through the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money vodkas of 2015.
Belvedere Vodka
Price: approx £25
Belvedere Vodka is said to be “full and round, with a medium bodied weight and rich, velvety texture”. Made from Dankowskie Rye, and quadruple-distilled; on the palate there is”some vanilla, swaying between sweet and savory with a hint of white pepper and spice”. Recently Belvedere vodka launched a new James Bond-inspired global advertising campaign starring Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman, who features in the franchise’s latest Spectre film.
Purity Vodka
Price: approx £40
Produced in a proprietary vodka still made of copper and gold, using only natural ingredients including wheat, barley and mineral rich water, Purity Vodka is distilled 34 times for a “unique yet complex” taste. It is produced in the grounds of Ellinge Castle in the south of Sweden, and took master blender Thomas Kuuttanen almost a decade to refine and perfect the recipe. Recently the brand celebrated its 100th Gold medal win by hosting a lavish celebration in Copenhagen.
PUR Vodka
Price: approx £25
PUR Vodka was founded by Nicolas Duvernois in 2006 with the aim of “restoring vodka to its former glory”, and is the first ultra-premium vodka to be made in Quebec. PUR’s flavour profile offers “a hint of grain with undertones of pear”, “elegant and refined” mouthfeel and “subtle flavours of peppermint and spearmint” towards the finish.
Tovaritch!
Price: approx £20
Russian vodka brand Tovaritch! claims to be the “most awarded vodka in the world” and is based on a 300-year-old family recipe. It is distilled five times, and filtered 20 times through a combination of birch charcoal and silver. Both produced and bottled in the St. Petersburg region, Tovaritch! is made using traditional methods throughout its production and distillation processes.
Belvedere Intense
Price: approx £40
Bottled at 50% abv, Belvedere Intense is described as a “bolder” version of the brand’s original expression. On the nose, Belvedere Intense offers “notes of rich vanilla, cream and butterscotch”, while on the palate you’ll find “deep and concentrated flavours of crème caramel, dark savoury spice and rich bitter chocolate”.
Laplandia Super Premium Vodka
Price: approx £15
Laplandia is – as you’d hope – produced in Lapland, at the Saimaa Beverages plant which is located on the shores of Lake Saimaa. In the Global Vodka Masters, the expression won a Master medal in the Super Premium category for its “sweet, floral” notes.
Real Russian Vodka
Price: approx £14
US-made Real Russian Vodka earned Master medal in our Global Vodka Masters for its“classic and smooth”flavour and “floral sweetness”. The brand, produced by Premiere Distillery, is handcrafted in Illinois by a third generation Real Russian master distiller and his daughter using their family heirloom recipe that dates back to 1905.
Small Mouth Vodka
Price: approx £32
Small Mouth Vodka is made from organic ingredients and produced in limited quantities in copper pot stills in Australia. Once a pipedream of longtime friends Chris Payton and Rohan Rivett, the duo bit the bullet and officially launched the craft vodka label last year. Small Mouth Vodka is said to have “sweet notes”, “a full flavour with a creamy quality” and “clean” finish.
Santamania Beer’s Vodka Le Virgin
Price: approx £21
Santamania Vodka is produced from Spanish grape alcohol and water from the lava caves of Mount Teide in the Canary Islands – the highest geographical point in Spain. The Global Vodka Masters judges found the expression to be “light and fresh” on the palate with “notes of green grapes”. Earlier this month the distiller opened a brand new distillery to bring production operations of its gin and vodka under one roof.
Freimut Vodka
Price: approx £30
Freimut Vodka is made from German Champagne rye and natural tunnel water from an old slate mine in the Upper Sauerland. The craft brand was well-recieved by Global Vodka Masters’ judges, attracting a Silver medal in the Super Premium category, a Silver in Organic, a Gold in Microdistillery and a Master medal in the Smooth category.
