How to Buy a Premium Vodka

Drinking premium vodka such as Belvedere or Chopin is all the rage. Unfortunately, most people don't really know why they are shelling out extra cash for these trendy spirits. Read on to learn some quick and easy guidelines so that the next time you pay a few dollars extra when buying a premium vodka, you will know why.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Know where the best vodkas are produced. Although vodka is made in several countries, the best come from Europe--hands down.

2. Identify vodka's ingredients. Most vodka is made from potatoes or grains such as wheat and barley.

3. Learn about distillation, is a process in which the water is separated from the alcohol. Generally, the more times vodka is distilled the higher the quality of the product.

4. Understand the significance of filtration. After the distillation process, vodka is then filtered through charcoal to remove impurities. The purity of vodka increases with the number of times it is filtered.

5. Become familiar with how premium vodka is supposed to taste. Premium vodka is easy to drink with a smooth mouth feel and aftertaste. There is no harsh alcoholic bite in premium vodka.

6. Consume premium vodka properly. High-end vodka is not designed to be mixed with anything. It is made to be consumed either neat or chilled on its own.

Tips & Warnings

• Taste vodka at room temperature if you are trying to decide which type you like best. Cold vodka tends to be void of any sort of nuanced flavors and aromas, leaving only the sting of alcohol.
• Go with less expensive vodka if you plan to mix it. You really can't tell the difference and it's easier on the wallet.
• More expensive does not necessarily mean better-tasting vodka so don't feel pressured to buy Grey Goose at around $35 a bottle because it is the trendy thing to do.
• Vodka is potent, so enjoy it responsibly.
• Don't drink vodka that is cloudy when a splash of water is added. Premium vodka is always crystal clear.

Resources

• Read the results of an official vodka tasting at Fiftybest.
• Learn more facts about vodka at Tastings.

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[geordiemike]

on 12/15/2009 nonsense.

1) purity is easily achieved, the best vodkas have good tasting impurities. For example, in taste tests Belvedere was found to taste worse when distilled 5 times compared to 4, as excess purity has no character, just oily burn. Many expensive vodkas are finished in pot-stills in order to achieve higher levels of good tasting impurities.


2) vodka is seldom made from potatoes, the only 2 major brands are luksusowa and chopin. wheat is common, but rye is much more common than barley

3) lack of strong alcohol flavour is usually the result of added glycerine. you should look for flavours from the raw materials.

4) there is some really great, characterful unfiltered vodka available. if the raw spirit is well made and tastes good then there is no need to purify it further. heavy filtration is for bad quality new make spirits. if purity is the goal then any mid priced poor ta...