Top 8 luxury vodka brand extensions

As global interest in weird and wacky flavoured vodka wanes, brands are replacing the tastes of bubblegum, popcorn and whipped cream with high-end, luxurious extensions.

The elit by Stolichnaya Pristine Water Series is an example of the vodka industry’s new luxury offerings

It’s no secret that vodka brands have been battling to shake their image as a spirit dripping with bling, but lacking in experimentation and flavour.

While flavours once dominated growth and innovation in the market, consumer demand is now shifting towards more premium products which demonstrate heritage and provenance.

As such, a number of leading vodka producers have extended their ladder of products with luxury bottlings which sit at the summit of their portfolio.

Some of the world’s most expensive vodkas have long-been widely coveted by the world’s wealthiest spirits fans, but their prices are usually derived from size and/or extravagant packaging.

However, this list of the top 8 luxury vodka brand extensions focuses on variants which are not only packaged in beautiful bottles, but whose high-end price is also derived from the liquid inside.

Click through the following pages to see which vodkas we’ve selected, and let us know if you think any have been omitted by leaving a comment below. 

For more in-depth analysis on the vodka category see the April issue of The Spirits Business, or stay tuned to www.spiritsbusiness.com for the remainder of Vodka Week (7-10 April).

elit by Stolichnaya

Encompassing three of the world’s most luxurious, rare, and indeed expensive vodkas, Stolichnaya Vodka unveiled its elit be Stolichnaya Pristine Waters Series in 2013. All costing US$3,000, the Himalayan Edition, the New Zealand Edition, and Andean Edition explore how water from different sources affects the flavour of vodka. Water from each of the eponymous sources is then used to dilute “Russian alpha spirit” made from a single source of grain, which is then freeze-filtered at -18C.

Grey Goose XV

Bacardi entered the hybrid spirits category in July 2014 with Grey Goose XV, an ultra-premium blend of vodka with drops of fine Cognac. Available exclusively in travel retail, the expression contains Cognac created from grapes from the Grande Champagne cru. With a name meaning “vodka exceptionalle”, VX is packaged in a Cognac-like bottle and was described as a “significant step change for the vodka/ white spirits category”.

Absolut Elyx

Another mainstream vodka brand to dip its toe into the luxury market is Swedish label Absolut, with its “single estate” variant Elyx. With an RRP of about £44, Absolut is manually distilled in a 1921 copper rectification still using single estate wheat from Rabelof Castle. Its launch represents a bid by brand-owner Pernod Ricard to capitalise on the trend of locally-made, craft spirits.

Cîroc Ten

The already self-proclaimed ultra-premium vodka Cîroc furthered its ascent up the luxury ladder with the very recently revealed Cîroc Ten. Costing US$250 per bottle, the variant is a blend of blend of fine French grapes, including the first harvest grapes of 2013 vintage. The expression was first unveiled in February by brand co-owner Sean “Diddy” Combs, who posted a teaser video of the round blue bottle on his Instagram page.

Smirnoff White

In March last year, Diageo revealed Smirnoff White – its largest travel retail launch to-date and the most luxurious expression in Smirnoff’s portfolio. Freeze-filtered at -6°C and passed through modern charcoal filters – a process described as a “true revolution in Smirnoff’s distillation process” – Smirnoff White is contained in a “striking” white bottle and is designed to encourage vodka drinkers to “trade up”.

Kauffman Luxury Private Collection Vodka

With a jaw-dropping RRP of £144, Kauffman Luxury Private Collection Vodka is an extension of the Kauffman Russian vodka range. Distilled a extraordinary 14 times using wheat from a single harvest, the liquid is also filtered twice, once through birch coal and again through quartz sand. The collector’s item, now sold out across all retailers, also derives part of its price from its beautiful bespoke packaging.

Beluga Allure

Costing £85, Russian vodka Beluga Allure is made from a special recipe using maple syrup and fig extract. After the ingredients are added, the liquid is rested 60 days prior to bottling. Dedicated to Russia’s successful polo team, the vodka is packaged in a brown leather case.

Chase Cognac Cask Aged Marmalade Vodka

Bridging the gap between white spirits and whisky, Chase has experimented barrel barrel-aged vodkas for a number of years but its Cognac Cask Aged Marmalade Vodka, at £99.50, is one of the most high-end. The expression is a Cognac cask-aged version of Chase Marmalade Vodka, which marinades Chase’s original potato vodka with Seville orange marmalade, a conserve handmade by the distillery.