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Archive for the ‘Vodka Reviews’ Category

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The Year in Vodka (2013 Rum Howler Awards)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on November 12, 2013

RH-winner2013The Rum Howler had another great year tasting Vodka in 2013 as it seems like producers from all over the world have been sending me samples for review upon my website. My quirky style of vodka review appears to have struck a chord with these producers, especially those in Eastern Europe who have told me that my willingness to bring the gastronomic experience into my review process is much appreciated. The willingness of foreign producers to send me samples in spite of the huge difficulties they can experience in dealing with Canadian Customs and Excise means that I had an unusually strong group pf spirits for this years Vodka Awards.

As is the case each year, all of my Rum Howler Awards are based upon side by side tastings within each category of spirit. I taste the spirit neat, and I also mix a few cocktails with each spirit. This year, with the very best spirits, I also compared each spirit with various food pairings in my efforts to determine the very best.

All spirit samples which I receive to review on my website are automatically considered for my awards. I do my review, and then I set aside the remainder of the spirit for the end of the year judging. I also receive additional industry samples specifically for these awards. The competition was particularly fierce this year, and it is time for me to reveal the recipients of my 2013 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Vodka.

These Awards are for the best Vodka Spirits I encountered in the year 2013!

The 2013 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Vodka

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Review: Pristina Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on October 3, 2013

Pristina Vodka TonicPristina Vodka is a quadruple distilled wheat Vodka produced in High River, Alberta in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains just south of Calgary. I have been a fan of Highwood Distillers for a while now; but I was not prepared for what greeted me when I opened a sample bottle Highwood’s Pristina Vodka. Maybe it was the uninspiring bottle and label, or maybe it is just a case of us Canadians being a little too self-conscious to believe we can be as good as everyone else in the world. Whatever the reason, when I put the Pristina in a flight of Vodka samples at a tasting where it was up against an Authentic Russian Vodka called Black Stallion, a real Polish Vodka called Alchemia Czysta, and a Vodka made in France called Grey Goose, I was not expecting what happened.

What happened was that every person at my tasting chose the same Vodka as their favourite, and every person said it wasn’t even close. That favourite, the clear head and shoulders winner without reservation in everybody’s opinion, was of course the Pristina Vodka from Highwood Distillers.

You may read my full review by clicking on the following excerpt:

Review: Pristina Vodka

“… I was happy to taste no vegetal tones and to feel no burn at all in my throat. The swallow was clean and completely smooth. The back of my mouth received a mildly spicy warmth; but my throat felt no heat, even with a substantial swallow of the Pristina Vodka. This reaction was consistent amongst those who tasted the Vodka with me …”

Please enjoy my review and the included cocktail, the Vodka Tonic.

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Review: Still Waters Single Malt Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 30, 2013

SAM_0887 Single Malt Vodka MojitoWords like “hand crafted” and “‘Small Batch” seem to be words thrown about by liquor producers in the same manner that rice and confetti are thrown about at a TV wedding. I guess the theory is that if you throw out enough rhetoric, some of it is bound to stick. So it is refreshing to write about a distillery where the words “hand crafted” and “‘Small Batch” really mean exactly what they imply.

Barry Bernstein and Barry Stein own and run the Still Water Distillery, and as far as small batch distilling goes, they are the real deal. They founded Ontario’s first micro-distillery in 2009, and pride themselves in not only being the Distillers and the Blenders of their craft spirits; but also in being the distillery’s Chief Bottle washers and Bottle Fillers. In fact, there is not a single aspect of the business that they do not either personally oversee or do themselves. Barry and Barry bring their spirits from grain to bottle in small batches, first sourcing locally grown grain, then mashing, fermenting, distilling, maturing, and bottling the spirits right at the distillery. And yes, they bottle and package every spirit they produce by hand!

Still Waters Single Malt Vodka is one of their hand-made spirits. It is not your typical Vodka. It is made from 100 % malted barley on their own German-made pot still.

Here is a link to my full review of this new Single Malt Vodka:

Review: Still Waters Single Malt Vodka

“… I received indications of a very light butterscotch sweetening the spirit just a little. I also sensed some indistinct floral notes with maybe a hint of licorice …”

At the end of the review I suggest a couple of nice cocktails, the Vodka Mojito, and Civility.

Please enjoy the review, and of course my cocktail suggestions!

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Review: Beluga Allure Russian Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 18, 2013

An Alluring Soldier

An Alluring Soldier

BELUGA Vodka is perhaps one of the most exclusive Vodka brands in the entire world. The Beluga line-up includes two Super-Premium Vodka brands (Beluga Russian Noble and the Beluga Transatlantic Racing Vodkas), as well as two Ultra-premium Brands (Beluga Gold Line and the Beluga Allure Vodkas). All of the Vodka is produced in a remote area of Siberia located in the town of Mariinsk which is situated in the Kemerovo Oblast of southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian Mountains. It was apparently constructed in this remote area for a very special reason, the Getreidemalz Siberian spring water which is pulled from an aquifer 250 meters below the ground. The special properties of this water (the aquifer contains quartz) are said to make it ideal for making vodka.

I have been fortunate enough to have been given samples of all four of the Vodka brands for review upon my website, and today I have come to the final review for the Ultra-premium Beluga Allure Noble Russian Vodka. (Thanks to the assistance of Thirsty Cellar Imports, who are the local distributors of Beluga Noble Vodka, I was able to receive each sample in good order).

You may click on the following link to read my latest review:

Review: Beluga Allure Russian Vodka

“… When I brought the spirit to my nose I had a hard time finding any aroma. I was hoping to catch a little wiff of maple syrup, but instead the air above the glass seemed to carry only a delicate hint of fresh bread. Perhaps there was also a vague sort of maltiness as well which gave the breezes above the glass a little sweetness …”

As part of the review I have provided two cocktail suggestions, the Russian Soldier, and my new decadent cocktail, Fulfillment!

Please enjoy my review!

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Review: Double Cross Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 11, 2013

DCDouble Cross Vodka is handcrafted in small batches at a family run distillery located just outside the 13th century village of Stará Ľubovňa located in the Tatra Mountains of northeastern Slovakia. The vodka is produced from organically grown winter wheat (apparently estate grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers) and purified spring water which is pulled from an aquifer located 200 meters below the ground. It is distilled in a seven-step, column-still process, and there are also seven filtration steps which include the use of active charcoal and limestone.

Double Cross Vodka has been in the Canadian market for about a year (in the Province of Ontario), and recently Woodman Wine and Spirits, (who are the exclusive agents for this brand in Ontario) sent me a bottle for review upon my website.

SAM_0768 Yellow BirdYou may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Double Cross Vodka

“… I noticed a light lemon scent in the breezes above my shot-glass as well as a sort of vague unidentifiable sweetness. When the Vodka was sipped, a very light lemon/balsam flavour was apparent as were hints of citrus zest and a ‘rye-like’ spiciness which built upon the palate with each sip. I found the Vodka to be remarkably clean, but it also contained nuances of flavour and spice which made it ideal for sipping …”

Please enjoy the review as well as my new cocktail creation, the Yellowbird of Sunshine, which follows.

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