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Other Golds went to Koskenkorva Vodka Climate Action, enjoyed for its “delicate sweetness and hints of white chocolate and earthy spice”, the “sweet and earthy” Jean Marc XO Vodka, and the “clean and crisp” White Claw Spirits Triple Wave Filtered Premium Vodka. Completing the Master line-up was Ewe Whey Vodka, with Filer calling its “rich, nutty, malty nose, like a sweet beer ferment. On the palate – similar notes, nutty malt, some caramel sweetness, hints of milk chocolate, some balancing citrus and pepper. Warming texture.” Proud of their 100-year potato growing heritage, firm British roots, provenance and family are truly at the heart of the distillery. Eleven Golds were given out, including one to Neft Vodka, enjoyed for its “smooth palate with a nice body and texture”, and Sapling Climate Positive Vodka, with its nose of “fresh and toasted grain” and “nutty sweetness” on the palate.
Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (GMSC) led the third panel, which included: Matt Chambers, spirits writer and co-founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog; Joyce Chou, Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s translation project manager; Zaloren Gonzalez Fontes, assistant manager of Hometipple; and Herchelle Perez Terrado, founder of Drinks Partnership. Moving on to vodkas with different bases, and a flight of Grain Blend bottlings were sampled next. Golds were given to Meili Vodka, with its “vanilla and white chocolate” aroma, and Short Story Grain Vodka, described as “tangy and vibrant” with “lots of lime zest and a hint of fresh basil”. Silver medal winner Pur Sang completed the flight. Our panel – made up of 10-accredited spirits experts and vodka-loving consumers – put 20 vodkas to the test. Each was tried neat and blind, to avoid brand bias, then followed by some water to dilute and soften the alcohol and bring out the core flavours. Filer offered some insight into flavoured vodkas: “Some wild variation in quality in this round, with some very good examples of flavoured vodkas, and, sadly, some poorly balanced and artificial-tasting examples. More care could be taken in production in this category.”Because of the locality of the raw material, Edwards are able to significantly reduce the food miles and carbon footprint associated with their vodka. They are also able to champion ‘wonky’ and turn unloved Kind Edward potatoes into vodka royalty. The second panel was chaired by Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols, who was joined by: Antony Moss MW; Evan Prousaefs, bar manager at Sexy Fish in London; and Tatti Sukamongkol, wine and spirits specialist, and contributor to Malt Review. Two Silvers were also awarded in the flight. Master medallists were aplenty in The Vodka Masters 2023 A single entry in the potato-based vodka round saw Nine Tines take a Gold, enjoyed for its “sweetness on the nose and palate, and nice balance – would be great sipped neat, or in a Martini”. Pulse Vodka won a Silver in the following flight, Vodka Base – Corn. Meanwhile, Pod Pea Vodka was the worthy recipient of a Master medal in the Vodka Base – Pea round. Chou particularly enjoyed this expression: “Expressive green, grassy, leafy, lactic notes on the nose. Very complex, with sweet caramel on the palate.”
Also taking home the top award was 8 Mile Vodka, which Perez Terrado said offered: “Clean, grapefruit aroma, great body and mouthfeel around the tongue, followed by delightful peppery heat balance with light bitter astringency.” Nine Golds were also discovered, including one for Pravda, which offered “floral grain notes, an absolutely superb texture, bit of pepperiness, but nice and full with crisp grain notes”.Desi Daru Mango Vodka secured its third Master medal, in the Microdistillery flight. Chambers said: “Tonnes of fresh mango on nose, fresh pulp with bitterness from skin, soft and sweet on the palate, with a very complex flavour profile, lots of fresh mango – this is great to experience, compared with something more confected. It’s juicy and delicious, with a delicate peppery note underneath.” While sales appear to be stagnant for the category in the US, producers continue to invest in new products, capitalising on trends such as sustainability, low-ABV and provenance. Even ready-to-drink brands, such as White Claw and Truly, have made moves into the vodka category as demand for hard seltzers falters. The liqueur is crafted and hand bottled at the Elsham Wold Distillery in Lincolnshire, England, UK.
This year’s Vodka Masters headed to the Hippodrome in London, where three panels of judges were tasked with dishing out medals to worthy entrants. A Gold was given to Grainger’s Deluxe Organic Vodka, and a Silver was awarded to Koskenkorva Vodka Organic. Despite ups and downs, vodka is still one of the world’s most popular spirits. As our judges discovered in The Vodka Masters 2023, the reason for this is quality liquid made with care and passion. This year’s medal winners demonstrated care and passion for crafting top-quality vodka Nykur Super Premium Organic Vodka completed the Master streak. Rodriguez-Curtis said: “The palate is fantastic, the alcohol is perfectly integrated, balanced well and the texture rounded. The slightly higher alcohol adds to the texture. It feels grown-up and premium, like a vodka you want to enjoy in a Martini.” The first went to Desi Daru Mango Vodka, which Rodriguez-Curtis enjoyed for its “fleshy and vibrant” nose. He said: “The palate is smooth, pleasant, good level of mango flavour and good level of enjoyability. The mango has a brilliant freshness. Chilled out of the fridge or freezer, this vodka would be brilliant to enjoy.”
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Next up is filtering, which gives vodka its clean mouthfeel. Although some craft distillers choose to skip this step altogether to impart a more unique flavour. Chou noted: “I can see some very expressive combinations of flavours, and some of them did very well in bringing different flavour profiles. The fruity ones were a little bit watered down, and too fake. But the more herbal, savoury ones did very well. There were expressive characters.”
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