What is the Best Russian Vodka?

The argument over who actually discovered vodka rages fiercely between Russia and Poland and even Finland throws its proverbial vodka hat into the ring as well. But there is no doubt the country that is associated with vodka the most is Russia.

How many Hollywood films have highlighted toasts being made with vodka and then promptly the glasses are smashed against the fireplace. But this culture of making toasts with the Russian national drink is part of the very culture of the country.

It is said that the best vodkas have the best water, and many of the favorite brands in Russia are made from fresh mountain spring water. There are many vodkas sold around the world but looking for the best you must search for purity and quality, a good body and of course a good flavor. Above all good vodka does not burn your throat as you drink it, there should be little or no astringency. Here is a round-up of some of the best Russian vodkas that you can easily find even outside Russia.

Russian Standard Gold

The bottle is the first thing that grabs your attention with this Vodka, as it is certainly what you would call bling. Standard Gold is made to an old Siberian recipe and is made out of winter wheat. The vodka includes extracts of ginseng, which bring a deep caramel flavor to the drink, but one of the most exciting overtones is a peppery finish. The embossed bottle makes it perfect for a gift, but it is what is inside it that really counts.

Momont Vodka

Momont Vodka comes from one of Siberia’s oldest distilleries, and it takes its water from the springs of the Altai mountain region. And another unique factor to this vodka is that the Itkul Distillery only uses pure malt in making of this drink.

Just like the mountainous scenery, this vodka is clean, crisp and has an overall freshness to it. It too is made from winter wheat but it is also distilled six times, so the vodka is as smooth as silk. When you first taste the drink, it is luscious and thick, it fills the whole mouth with flavor. The bottle is quite intriguing also as it is shaped to resemble the tusk of a mammoth that was found fossilized in the forests near the distillery.

Moskovskaya Osobaya

Famous for its plain green label, this bottle looks like an authentic Russian vodka. In fact, this vodka is one of the very oldest Russian brands and the drink dates back to the old Empire. The vodka recipe was altered slightly in 1938, and now it is triple distilled and the liquid undergoes a filtration process no less than three times.

The resulting drink is smooth, but has spicy overtones, there are also hints of citrus and a lingering taste of aniseed. To finish with, the overall taste is creamy and there is little heat to overpower the delicate flavors. These three vodkas are uniquely Russian, both in the way they taste and the way there were made. There is no other nation that put as much attention into making their favorite drink, and these vodkas are an example of that.    

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