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Luksusowa

Price

$26/750ML

Bought at

Bishops Cellar (Lower Water St., Halifax)

This Vodka is an all-potato Polish Vodka branded as premium, which tells us little, since this seems to have become a buzzword in today's spirits market. The only other potato Vodka I have ever had was Chopin, by Polomos Distillery, and that was some time ago; as this one was supposed to have a very good reputation and was rather more affordable than Chopin was, i had no choice but to give it a try. The smell from the bottle can be a little earthy, but it lessens in intensity once the liquid has been poured out, becoming simply fragrant; one can actually smell the potato, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Once in the mouth, the first striking thing about this Vodka is its amazing texture and consistency--- silken smooth and so thick as to nearly feel creamy. The bite is mild, but present enough not to be entirely forgotten; there is a light sweetness, but it does not pose any problem as the slight bitterness in the aftertaste balances it out nicely. The aftertaste is where one may taste the potatoes, although this taste is not so powerful as to cause any discomfort as drinking goes on. This Vodka is sinfully easy to drink and its consistency and taste are such that it almost feels as though it were a meal in itself; and the nice, square bottle with stark labelling makes it attractive on the aesthetic side as well. In short, the quality and relative affordability of this Vodka make it perfect for an occasional treat. Sadly, we have read recently that this brand was bought up by the same consortium owning such fine brands as Absolut: let us pray that they don't try to improve this product in any way.

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Banff Ice

Price

$29.99.1.14L

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

Banff Ice is another example of a good Canadian Vodka. Indeed, so far, it's quite astounding, of the four Canadian Vodkas reviewed here, three, including this one, are very good. Which is as well for us, since the selection of imported vodka is not so good around here: I look forward to finding more excellent Vodka in some unlikely Canadian products. This vodka is not as exceptional as Polar Ice and Iceberg, but it is highly drinkable. It has a light but pleasant texture as well as a decent bite. The taste is perhaps the most interesting, as it is rather elusive, offering a nice compromise between the western style, tasteless Vodka and its more fragrant eastern counterpart: probably a choice to consider for people who might be interesting in drinking Vodka that actually tastes something, but don't want to be overwhelmed on their first try. In short, Banff Ice is a reliable, good-all-round, daily-drinking Vodka accessible to all. There certainly is better Vodka out there, but there are many, many that are worse. My only complaint is that, if you're sufficiently drunk, the sticker-labels on the bottle, which are already very smooth to begin with, can make prehension of the bottle rather difficult: don't drop it!

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Ketel 1

Price

$26.49/750ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

This is a Dutch Vodka boasting to be a premium (a much overuse word in the spirits world), craft vodka, and is presented to us in a quaint, lanky bottle that is not devoid of charm. It used to be much more expensive when I first encountered it in Montreal (about $40), which is why I had not tried it before, but its price recently seems to have dropped by $10 (ouch! that's 25 percent!), which brought it in the range of Vodkas worth trying. And it is worth trying indeed. Its smell is sweet, bordering on fragrant for a vodka, with the typical scent of grain found in better vodka, but also something hinting of greens, and even maybe, very very lightly, of spice. The texture is very good in the mouth, not the silkiest, but pretty damn smooth still; the bite is good, if not sharp; and the aftertaste is very nice, with grain and a very slight bitterness almost reminiscent of coal (possibly attributable to the filtering). On the whole, this is a solid Vodka with interesting characteristics of its own: it's still a bit pricey for Vodka, but worthwhile to have once in a while.

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Stolichnaya Vodka

Price

$25.26/750ML (taxes included)

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation

This lady is and has been a fixture at parties and in cocktail-mixing bars for many years, and has come to symbolise Russian Vodka to most westerners. It is usually the vodka chosen by people wise enough not to buy the Smirnoffs and Absoluts of this world who nevertheless do not know much about vodka and possibly don't even drink it straight, as it ought to be drunk if one wishes to taste it at all. For this reason, one might be inclined to think of it as a mainstream beverage of little interest, which would be a misjudgement. Stolichnaya Vodka, or Stoli, as it is affectionately called, is light in taste and has remarkably little edge for a wheat vodka; it sports a nice clean smell, overlaid with grain (what a surprise) and a slight pepperiness. The taste is light and non-threatening, as mentioned earlier, but nevertheless leaves the drinker with a pleasantly memorable impression. It is somewhat sweeter than other Vodkas of the same type (such as Finlandia, for instance), which can at times make it seem just a tad heavier. On the whole, Stoli is a pleasant, reliable, and widely available vodka which one should definitely not turn away; on the other hand, its popularity can sometimes cause it to be priced slightly higher than it is truly worth, and it may be that some more obscure brand will be just as good and less expensive. In that category, I strongly recommend Moskovskaya Vodka, which is exported from Russia by the same export group, has similar characteristics, minus the sweetness (which is for me a plus), and is usually a few dollars cheaper. Sadly, it does not seem to be available in Halifax at the moment; but upon my next trip to Montreal, I will certainly review it in greater details here.

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Wodka Wyborowa

Price

approx. $29.50/1.14L

Bought at

Societe Des Alcools Du Quebec (Montreal)

This Vodka is my absolute favourite so far, and has been for almost two years now. The reason I have not reviewed it earlier is that it does not seem to be available in Nova Scotia, which is, in my opinion, a very sad thing indeed. Luckily, my mom flew to see me a few weeks ago, and, in answer to my pleas and prayers, brought me two 40 ouncers of this heavenly nectar. "Why is it so good, then?", you ask. Well, it isn't actually because it has a better taste than some other vodkas, but rather a better balance. A very tasty vodka, such as Polar Ice for example, can be all out with pungent flavours and aromas, be silken smooth, but lack the bite that gives spirits, and especially Vodka, one of its charms. On the other hand, some dry vodkas can be all bite and give very little taste. Wyborowa is the perfect compromise: it has the sweetness of a rye Vodka and the amazing texture those can have, but it gives the drinker the little bite, the fire on the tongue, which makes him smile and sigh with satisfaction. This Vodka is like looking at a beautiful, curvy girl, all the while knowing she has plenty of spunk to match her looks. The cap on the new bottle design can also actually double as a shot-glass for those special moments when a bottle of Vodka is all that's left you. I've heard this is the supermarket Vodka in Poland... When can I go?

UPDATE: You might be interested to know that Wyborowa now seems to be available in Nova Scotia: at least it is available at the liquor store on Joseph Howe. CHEERS! (2007-04-04)

[/Vodka/Poland] permanent link

Iceberg

Price

$29.99/1.14L

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

Iceberg is a Canadian vodka, which is supposed to be made directly from glacier water, a point which they made sure to put across by marketing it in a bottle shaped like carved ice. Thankfully, the taste is a lot sounder than the marketing philosophy, and Iceberg is a very interesting vodka indeed. Beside glacier water, it is made with sweet corn, which gives the vodka a very peculiar taste. The smell is sweet, somewhat reminiscent of Cream Soda, while the taste is light but lingering, not at all dry, unlike most vodkas (could be good for people who don't normally like vodka straight). It is extremely clean, but the relative sweetness makes it slightly more difficult to drink in large quantities. For that reason, it is much more a sipping vodka, or one to have with meals, than it is a quaffing vodka. It is fairly good at room temperature, but is even better chilled. Highly recommended freezer-chilled on a hot summer day, with smoked fish and various zakuski (snacks).

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Grey Goose

Price

$4.25/50ML (usually about $40/750ML)

We had heard about and seen this vodka for a long time, and had had many a laugh at it: after all, French vodka sounds like an unlikely thing, and the price is quite high. A few days ago, we saw a tiny taster on display and decided that a few dollars was a reasonable price to find out what this Goose was all about. We looked at the bottle very carefully, and there is no mention of citrus anywhere, so it does not appeared to have been flavoured, yet it certainly tasted like lemon to me: so bear in mind that I might be reviewing their lemon-flavoured product, instead of their basic vodka. It's nice and clean with a light body and a very crisp ending. The taste, as I said, is mostly of citrus, but you can also taste the grain rather better than expected for such a light vodka. Over all, very easy-drinking with hardly any burn, rather nice, in fact. So, is it a good vodka? Yes, unquestionably better than many. Is it worth the price tag? No, not as far as I'm concerned. Nor, as a matter of fact, does it deserve the hysterical reviews it seems to be getting everywhere on the internet. Best vodka in the world? COME ON! In short, it is typically French, in that it is great, but still manages to have a reputation even greater than itself.

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Finlandia

Price

$33.50/1150ML (w/ tax)

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

The traditional all-purpose easter-European vodka geared towards western consumption as well as local. Crisp, clean tasting, with a hint of dryness, but just enough to balance the slight sweetness. If that's your game, you can make all kind of drinks with it, or you can just drink it neat, shot after shot, without fear of the morrow. Just don't forget to eat, that's all… Always a safe bet. I only wish they could have stuck to the old bottle design.

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Polar Ice

Price

$20.99/750ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax); (Also often back in Montreal)

A very, very smooth vodka with a clean fragrant taste. The aftertaste and nose are full of the aromas typical to a rye vodka, and the fact that it was quadruple-distilled makes it dangerously easy to drink. Its smoothness is such that I sometime find it too light, as I tend to prefer a vodka with a bit of a bite. Don't let yourself be fooled by the flashy bottle, or by the fact that it is from Ontario, Canada; this vodka is definitely up there with the great ones. When good, imported vodka is hard to find, this vodka usually is my safety net, and a delicious one at that.

[/Vodka/Canada] permanent link

Prince Igor

Price

$19.99/750ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

This vodka sits in a stylised plastic bottle, but I bought some because I was curious to find out whether the content was better than the container. It wasn't. It starts well enough and looks like it will be your typical, neutral-tasting wheat vodka, with perhaps a hint of sweetness (the kind you can drink a lot of), but then everything gets obliterated by a major chemical aftertaste, and one suddenly has an urge to call mom and tell her about the time one didn't quite feed the cat as expected. Makes me wonder whether they thought they could get away with using water from the tap, or something. Okay chilled, probably better mixed, most likely best left alone.

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