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Tanzanite Vodka collected the top award for being “quite soft and smooth, but with a stony character, a touch of caramel and a malt‐like note”. In the highest price range, Ultra Premium, three more Masters were discovered. “There were some examples here that could stand up against some of the best vodkas on the market, whatever the price.” “Delightful to see such a high class of spirits at an affordable price point,” noted Miller. Reyka was said to have “good Martini potential” High class of spirits The medallist had a “touch of caramel”, which the judges said “gave it more character”. Koskenkorva Vodka Climate Action impressed the judges with its “savoury” palate, as did White Feather Vodka, said to be “an interesting” spirit. The judges found there was a slight “floral” quality to the vodka, with a “touch of vanilla and pepper heat towards the finish”. Kamo Original received the fourth Master of the flight. Reyka Vodka was also found to deserve a Master medal, enjoyed for bringing a “touch of olive brine” and overall having “good Martini potential”. The spirit had “stone fruit and almond” aromas, leading to a “smooth” palate with a “touch of chilli heat, which adds a nice texture”. The second Master of this round was given to 58 Distillery, which Rodriguez called a “clean and elegant vodka”. The vodka had a “simple and clean” nose, leading to tastes of “vanilla, lemon drop and almond” on the palate. The first award went to Penderyn’s Five Vodka. Quality and price rose simultaneously as the judges proceeded to the Super Premium heat and discovered four entrants worthy of the Master title. Smith noted: “It was nice to see that you don’t have to pay a lot of money to experience the nuances of vodka.” Konvodka also picked up a Gold medal for its “creamy texture and flavour”, while fellow Gold medallist North Sea Vodka offered a “slight minerality” and was thought to be a “good mixer and reasonable for the price”. One Gold went to Moskovskaya Osobaya Vodka, with its “grassy nose” and “crisp, dry” palate that finished with a “little lingering black pepper”. Eight Gold medals were also awarded in this flight. The judges enjoyed its “citrus nose, oily texture” and thought it would be “great to drink neat”. In the following flight of Premium vodkas, priced between £11 and £20, JJ Whitley Artisanal Russian Vodka joined the Master ranks. “It’s everything you want from a vodka.” Three Silvers and a Gold completed the opening round. “I found this biscuity, savoury, round, soft, and it held the 40% ABV really well,” enthused Dixon. Syabry Rye Bread was the epitome of ‘value for money’, securing the first Master medal of the day. To start with, The Vodka Masters looked at whether vodkas were worth their price tags, starting with a flight of Standard vodkas – all under £10 (US$14). The Vodka Masters 2021 judges, l-r: Dimple Athavia, Ivan Dixon, Melita Kiely, Bryan Rodriguez, Julia Nourney, Sarah Miller, Evan Prousaefs, David T Smith and Bernadette Pamplin Value for money
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Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, chaired the third and final team, which comprised: Ivan Dixon, independent spirits consultant and Dimple Athavia, founder of All Things Drinks. He was joined by Evan Prousaefs, bar manager at The Leaf and Cane in London and Julia Nourney, independent spirits consultant. The second set of tasters comprised chair Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer for Harvey Nichols. David T Smith, founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, chaired the first panel, which included: Sarah Miller, founder of the Gin A Ding Ding blog and Bernadette Pamplin, founder of the Under the Ginfluence blog. Due to the sheer volume of entrants, the tasting involved three panels. This year’s entrants were carefully packed by Sensible to guarantee a true blind‐tasting experience for the judges. A panel of expert tasters assembled at the Ibis hotel in London Bridge, UK, eager to see what vodka has to offer. The Vodka Masters annual tasting is an opportunity to sample the variety of bottlings that make vodka so popular all over the world. Multiple brands, particularly those from Eastern European countries, were able to sustain or substantially grow volumes last year in the face of never‐before‐seen adversity brought about by the pandemic. According to The Brand Champions 2021 report, the category’s million‐case‐selling brands were among the most resilient of all spirits sectors. Vodka proved to be made of hardy stuff in the face of the Covid‐19 pandemic.
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Our tasting uncovered the best neutral – and not-so-neutral – spirits The vodka category is blossoming at the moment, with producers around the world using skill and care to make the most of their native ingredients, as Melita Kiely explains.