New French vodka brand challenges Belvedere

Anglo-French spirits company Sagittarius has launched a new wheat-based French vodka that claims to rival Grey Goose and Belvedere.

Golovkine Vodka, described as “the most Russian of French vodkas”, is named after 17th and 18th century statesman Count Gavriil Golovkin – the master of ceremonies for the Tsar, grand chancellor of the emperor and ambassador to Russia to Louis XIV.

Produced by Golovkine’s French descendants, the vodka is five-times distilled using wheat grown in the Beauce region. A six distillation in old copper alembic stills also takes place, giving the liquid a quality that allows it to “rival all other first-rate brands”.

“This vodka embodies Golovkine through its purity and excellence – the essence of Russian tradition – combined with the expertise and sophistication of the French,” said Sagittarius.

Golovkine Vodka also features labels with thermochromic inks that change from white to blue when the bottle reaches below 0°C.

It will be available from UK retailers Honest Grapes and Harrods at an RRP of £45.