The Vodka Masters 2022 results

Despite other spirits soaring in cachet, vodka has weathered all types of trends, and is becoming increasingly popular, as our expert judges found out at this year’s taste test.

Look at The Brand Champions 2022 report and you’ll see that vodka had a stellar year in 2021. The majority of million‐case‐selling brands saw a significant uptick in volume sales, with a number surpassing pre‐pandemic levels. It’s an indication of the category’s continued popularity with consumers – and a sign of a prosperous‐looking future for vodka.

Consumers are spoilt for choice when it comes to vodka. There are myriad brands, spanning every price bracket from under £10 to high double digits, and styles covering an assortment of base materials such as wheat, potatoes and grapes.

For consumers looking to explore what the vodka category has to offer, there can be a lot to take in. Therefore, The Global Spirits Masters Competitions hosted The Vodka Masters 2022 in August to determine the brands with the best liquid inside the bottle.

Experts assemble

A group of experts, with no brand affiliation, gathered at the Novotel hotel in London Bridge to put entrants through their paces. The team was split into four panels, with Nicola Carruthers, deputy editor of The Spirits Business, chairing one of the groups.

She was joined by: Matt Chambers, co‐founder of the Whisky for Everyone blog, and the North London Whisky Club; and Angelo Sparvoli, head bartender at St James Bar at Sofitel St James.

David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co‐founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, chaired a second group. He was joined by: Stephen Kennard, of SMJK Consulting; Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols; and Ivan Dixon, independent spirits consultant.

Panel three comprised: chair Bernadette Pamplin, freelance drinks writer and founder of the Under the Ginfluence blog; Sara Jane Eichler, founder of the Negroni Club UK; and Alan Uresti, head of agave spirits and drinks development at Annabel’s.

The fourth panel was formed of: Dimple Athavia, founder of All Things Drinks; Masha Twemlow, associate at International Drinks Specialists; and Tobias Gorn, co‐founder and senior partner of International Drinks Specialists, who chaired.

Vodkas were initially assessed by price point and there was value for money to be found in the opening round: Standard. Each vodka in this flight cost no more than £10, and two were found to be worthy of a Gold medal. Gold‐winning Count Pushkin Premium Imperial Vodka was deemed to be “clean on the nose, light on a palate with soft grain notes”.

Fellow Gold medallist Saaremaa Vodka delivered a “creamy mouthfeel with a hint of sugar syrup and underlying cereal notes”. Two Silver medals were also awarded in this flight. Sparvoli said: “For the price I would say I was positively impressed.”

The judges soon uncovered the first Master of the day: Tamova Quadruple Distilled Vodka. The Aldi bottling picked up the top award in the Premium flight, for vodkas priced between £11 and £20. Kennard found the vodka to have a “clean, light nose”. Rodriguez said: “The palate is smooth, and has some nice weight to it. The ABV works for its smoothness – a good effort.”

Gold medals were awarded to: Absolut Vodka Original, with its “good texture and minerality”; Koskenkorva Vodka Original, which was “cleanly distilled with dark chocolate and pepper” notes; and Baxter Vodka, which was “smooth and viscous”. The flight closed with two Silver medals.

Smith said: “There are some real bargains to be had here, which means that quality can be affordable, but as with every category, not all vodkas are equal.”

In a flight of Super Premium vodkas, the quality improved once again, producing two Master winners: Stalinskaya Gold, and Black Cow Vodka. Stalinskaya Gold was hailed for being “very creamy with some lactic notes; it is smooth and elegant with a nice long creamy and nutty finish.”

Black Cow Vodka was “really interesting and unusual”, noted Pamplin. Tasting notes from her panel included “warm, toasty porridge on the nose” leading to a “sweet and buttery” palate with some “lovely smoky notes”.

Nine Gold medals were awarded in this heat. Gold medallists included: Riverland Rose Vodka, which had “juicy red fruit and aromatic rose petals” on the palate; “nicely balanced” Míl Vodka, with “some citrus high notes”; and Masons Classic Vodka, which was described as a “solid vodka for cocktails”.

Among the five Silver medallists in this heat was Altamura Distilleries Vodka. The judges particularly enjoyed its “nutty aromas, smooth palate and spicy finish”.

Most expensive flight

In the most expensive price bracket of the day, Ultra Premium, vodkas priced £31 and over were assessed – and Chapel Down’s Chardonnay Vodka was found to be worth every penny.

The Master medallist impressed the judges with “hints of grapes, raisins and stone fruits” on the nose. “The way the flavour develops is quite exquisite,” enthused Pamplin. Eichler commented on the vodka’s “wonderfully rich mouthfeel”, alongside “toffee apple” aromas.

Ten Gold medallists also caught the judges’ attention. Gold‐winning Desi Daru Original Vodka impressed the experts with its “lovely round palate, with some moreish spice towards the finish”. Uresti enjoyed its hints of “citrus and apples”.

Gold medallist Broken Clock Lingering Vodka was celebrated for its “floral and fruity nose”, which led to a “creamy and delicate sweetness” on the palate with “hints of tropical fruit, good structure and depth”. Two Silver awards brought the flight to a close.

Chambers said: “There’s an expectation with ultra‐premium prices that you are going to get something better and more well‐balanced. There was more expressiveness here, and you can see some producers are pushing the category in different directions.”

 

The competition progressed to Vodka – Grain, in which a Silver medal was awarded to Pur Sang Select, with “earthy cereal” notes. In the following flight, Vodka – Wheat, two more Silvers were celebrated: “classic, creamy” Skyy Vodka, and Altamura Distilleries Vodka, with its “waxy body”.

The Vodka – Rye category brought another Master medallist to the table: Belvedere Organic Infusions Pear & Ginger. The judges agreed that these were not the easiest flavours to get right, but were impressed by the authenticity of the pear and ginger. Dixon said: “This was an interesting flavour combination with attractive aromas of both flavour components.”

Four Gold medals were awarded in this round, and one Silver – all of which went to Belvedere products. Among the Gold winners was another flavoured expression, Belvedere Organic Infusions Lemon & Basil, which delivered “lots of lemon on the nose, with some light pesto”.

Dixon said of the round: “There were some flavour‐combination wins here, proving that seemingly unconventional pairings can sometimes surprise.”

The Vodka – Corn heat created another Master medallist: Ignite Vodka. Twemlow found “beautiful popcorn aromas and hints of citrus”, resulting in an “amazingly smooth and balanced” vodka overall. Pur Sang Standard secured Gold.

In the Vodka – Sugar Beet heat, Titanic Distillers Premium Irish Vodka collected a Gold medal. Athavia found “some oily characteristics” and “savouriness” in this vodka.

The Vodka – Fruit round also produced a Gold medallist, this time in the form of Dutch Barn Vodka. Tasting notes included “sweetness, pepper, a nice creaminess and fruity quality”.

Four Gold medallists were enjoyed in the following flight: Smooth. The key focus of this round was to, as the name suggests, determine just how smooth the vodka was, with added complexity an extra bonus.

The four Gold medallists were Dutch Barn Vodka, Baxter Vodka, Von Est Wheat Vodka, and Altamura Distilleries Vodka. The latter expression delivered aromas of “orchard fruits” and was found to be “well balanced”. Two vodkas were viewed as deserving of Silver medals for their smooth qualities.

Moving onto the Organic contingent, and a Master medal was bestowed upon Koskenkorva Vodka Organic. Rodriguez said of the entry: “A nice start on the nose with a clean neutral character. The palate has some weight to it, great body and touch of spice and heat.” A trio of Gold medals and one Silver were also awarded in this round.

The Microdistillery portion of the competition highlighted how smaller‐scale producers are adding a point of difference to the vodka category. Two were deemed to be exceptional, and were rewarded with Master medals.

First, Tayport Distillery Malt Barley Vodka; the expression was “very aromatic, creamy and smooth with superbly integrated alcohol”, noted Gorn. “It lingers nicely on the palate with very well composed flavours next to each other,” he added. Barn Vodka. Tasting notes included “sweetness, pepper, and nice creaminess and fruity quality”.

Beemer Vodka was also deemed to be Master‐worthy. Tasting notes included: “A creamy start with a lovely fruity note and a soft, cooling eucalyptus palate.” Two Silver medals were also awarded.

The tasting then looked to vodkas divided by region, starting with a flight of entries from Europe (excluding Eastern Europe). Seven Gold medals were enjoyed in this round, one of which was awarded to Neft.

Athavia described Neft as having “interesting flavours of chocolate, apricots, and a soft finish – lovely”. Altamura Distilleries Vodka also added to its growing medal haul in this round with another Gold medal. Gorn said the vodka was “lovely round and elegant, with everything in balance”. Three Silvers completed the flight.

Eastern Europe

In the Eastern Europe round two medals were awarded: a Gold award went to “vibrant, fresh” Kreskova Vodka, while a Silver was given to Von Est Sangaste Rye Organic Estonian Vodka. Koskenkorva Vodka Original showed all the qualities needed to bag a Master medal in the Scandinavia segment. Carruthers said the vodka was “extremely drinkable”, and detected notes of “lemon, pine and sweetness – very smooth”. Chambers added: “Compared with the rest, it’s very classy and elegant.”

In the final geographical division, Rest of the World, Archie Rose Distilling took home one of three Gold medals for its True Cut Vodka. The spirit had an “interesting nose with herbaceous notes” and overall was “nicely cohesive”.

Southern Vodka from Franklin Distillery, and Yvy Vodka from the Yvy Destilaria also walked away with Gold medals. A trio of Silvers elevated the flight.

The penultimate flight of the day was the biggest by far: Flavoured/ Infused Vodka. This portion of the vodka category has been growing in popularity recently, arguably enhanced by the rise of gin. Four products proved they had outstanding credentials, and were rightly rewarded with Master medals.

First of all, Cardi Bay Vodka received a Master medal for its “delicate nose with notes of vanilla and coconut”. “An easy tipple for a bartender to make tasty drinks with,” noted Pamplin.

Master‐winning Koskenkorva Vodka Sauna Barrel intrigued the judges with its uniqueness: “Lovely and tasty, somewhat like an unusual aquavit,” noted Gorn. “This was special. Lovely fresh vanilla notes with a touch of toasted wood and smoke.”

Stablemate Koskenkorva Vodka 7 Botanicals also lived up to the Master standard, with its “Asian‐style citrus and sweet notes; soft and balanced”, said Athavia. And also deemed Master‐worthy was Manchester Spirit Flavoured Botanical Vodka Grapefruit.

Chambers was delighted to find “lovely bitter grapefruit zest” on the nose, complemented by “pink juicy grapefruit on the palate”. “An exquisite combination of flavour and vodka,” he added.

The four Masters were bolstered by 11 Gold medals and 16 Silvers. Absolut Mandrin was among the Gold winners, with its “almost chocolate orange‐like” aromas and “a touch of grapefruit bitterness” on the palate. The Silver award‐winners included Desi Daru Mango Flavoured Vodka, akin to “mango purée and overripe mango”.

Sparvoli said: “Overall I was impressed. There were some extremely nice flavoured vodkas in here – I especially liked the grapefruit.”

Scarlett’s Cherry Liqueur ensured the competition went out on a high with the final Master of the day in the Vodka Liqueur flight. Pamplin commented on the liqueur’s “gorgeous nose” with “deep, sweet natural cherry – thick, luscious and delicious”.

All that was left to do was retaste the Master winners to discover The Vodka Taste Master 2022. After the votes had been counted and verified, Belvedere Organic Infusions Pear Ginger was picked as the most popular expression from this year’s blind tasting, receiving the coveted title.

Reflecting on the overall standard demonstrated in the tasting, Chambers added: “The standard has been very good – I was particularly impressed by the ‘under £10’ flight. The flavoured/infused category was really impressive.”

After the infamous flavour ‘boom and bust’ of years gone by, has the vodka category finally cracked how to do flavours right? This year’s results certainly suggest so.

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Standard 

Premium 

Super Premium 

Ultra Premium 

Vodka – Grain

Vodka – Wheat

Vodka – Rye

Vodka – Corn

Vodka – Sugar Beet

Vodka – Fruit

Smooth

Organic

Microdistillery

Europe (excluding Eastern Europe)

Eastern Europe

Scandinavia

Rest of the World

Flavoured/ Infused Vodka

Vodka Liqueur

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