It’s distilled three times and then put through a final pot still distillation before being bottled. One True Maverick is distilled in London from a surprising mash bill of potato, rye and grape. If you are looking for a martini that tastes like there is nothing there, this is the vodka for you! It’s clean and crisp, with just a touch of sweetness. The vodka is silky smooth, which is often the case with spirits based on wheat mash bills. The brand is not yet available in the US. Uokka is a Scottish based distributor of wine, beer and spirits that handles Tanzanite Vodka in the United Kingdom. Tanzanite is a French vodka brand that is produced from a mash bill of French winter wheat. These were Uokka, Tanzanite Vodka, 40% ABV, 700 ml One True Maverick Vodka, 40% ABV, 700 ml and Pur Vodka, 40% ABV, 750 ml. There were three Master awards in the ultra-premium ($45 and up) vodka category.

Kamo is not available in the US, but can be purchased from UK mail order vendors. The vodka is distilled seven times, and undergoes nine filtrations, resulting in an incredibly smooth vodka with a clean, neutral taste. Kamo is a wheat-based vodka produced, its vaguely Finnish sounding name notwithstanding, in Barrow Upon Soar in Loughborough in the United Kingdom. There are notes of bread toast, a touch of wet stone minerality, some citrus zest and a bit of vanilla. Reyka is smooth and oily on the palate, with a touch of pepperiness and some sweetness. How filtration through basalt affects the spirits is unclear. The basalt is also volcanic in origin, but was extruded on land rather than in the sea. The distillery uses rocks of pillow lava (lava that has been extruded underwater) in the still as a condensation point within the Carter-Head basket, and filters the resulting spirit through basalt. There are only six such stills in the world. Both Hendrick’s and Bombay Gin use a Carter-Head still. They are typically used in the production of gin. It uses geothermal heat to power the distillation.Ĭarter-Head stills have a basket between the pot still and the condenser that is used to hold a basket of botanicals. The company brings in spirit from Scotland that has been distilled from a mash bill of wheat and barley and then redistills it in Iceland using a Carter-Head still. It, too, has been a perennial award winner. Reyka Vodka is an Icelandic vodka owned by William Grant & Sons. The company’s spirits have not yet been released in the US, but are available from UK mail order firms like The Whisky Exchange. The company makes a range of gins, and is now launching its first vodka. The company tested 58 different gin recipes before finally finding one it liked, hence the name. The 58 Distillery is a micro distillery in Hackney, a borough of London, that began as an ultra-small batch producer of gin. The vodka is exceptionally smooth and creamy, with hints of fruit and cooked barley, along with some pepper spice and roasted nut notes and a slight herbal note. The still combines a pot still with column distillation, and can produce alcohol at 92% ABV, the highest in the industry for a pot still. It’s distilled five times in Penderyn’s trademark still. Penderyn, Five Vodka, has been a consistent winner in international competitions, and is one of the United Kingdom’s leading vodka brands. These were: Penderyn Distillery, Five Vodka, 43% ABV, 750 ml 58 Distillery, 58 Distillery Vodka William Grant & Sons, Reyka Vodka, 40% ABV, 750 ml and Kamo, Original, Premium Vodka, 40% ABV, 750 ml. The Super Premium category ($30 to $45) had four vodkas that won a Master award. It’s clean, crisp, but with a warming spiciness and subtle hints of fruit, along with vanilla and a bit of almond. The vodka is wheat based, and silky smooth on the palate. The distillery was once among the largest in Russia. Its Artisanal Russian Vodka is produced at the JJ Whitley Vodka Distillery in the town of Kingisepp (previously named Yamburg), near St. Halewood Group is a UK based beverage company that operates 12 distilleries around the world. The top scoring vodka in the premium category ($15 to $30) was Halewood Artisanal Spirits JJ Whitley Artisanal Russian Vodka, 38% ABV, 750 ml. The name Syabry is the word for friend in the Belarusian language. The company describes its vodka as “sophisticated, clean, with hints of roasted grain and bread crusts” on the nose, “with expressive tones of fresh bread” on the palate. See if you want to look for an international mail order supplier. It has limited distribution outside of Belarus, and is not yet available in the US. It sells for around $7 for a 500-ml bottle, and is produced by Belvingroup in Belarus. Another surprising winner, among the cheapest available vodkas, was Syabry Rye Bread Vodka.

Top tier vodka