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Pinky vodka is new to BC as of May 2010; however the vodka has been available elsewhere since 2008.

I like the pink colour - but I was a little worried that it would be the "Earl Gray Tea" of vodkas. They add botanicals after the distillation...rose petals, violets and strawberries.

While there are the obvious floral notes (nose and taste) there is so much more to this vodka. I’m also picking up notes of vanilla. And there is something light and almost grassy I’m tasting, too. (tasted on ice)

It is incredibly smooth and will be much enjoyed in some summer drinks! They recommend fruit and herb based cocktails.....so i will try this in my vodka mojitos this summer.

Added note: I tried this vodka as a dry martini (vodka/Vermouth) and it became much sweeter. And I can really taste the violets now!

360 Vodka is selling itself as eco-friendly vodka, which is great. They use local grains, but why didn’t they go all the way and use organic grains? (I have emailed them to find out what grain they use and why they haven’t gone organic).

The vodka……It is very smooth, no alcohol burn. Vanilla notes on the nose. On the taste, there isn’t much, but is so smooth there is caramel sweetness in the finish. This will make a great martini! I’m having it on the rocks and it is wonderfully smooth. Dangerously so!

This vodka is made in the same distillery as the world-renowned liqueur Chartreuse. From the Vertical vodka web site, http://www.verticalvodka.com/pa_vertical_us.htm, they tell us Vertical Vodka is the smoothest vodka one can find as it is the result of four distillations. The first two in stainless (inoxidizable) stills, the latter two distillations in tin-plated copper vats, giving Vertical Vodka its grainy character and smoothness; attributes that contribute to its remarkable quality and versatility. The vodka is 100% grain based, there is no artificial colouring or flavour, and no preservatives. Dipsophilia's review: smooth, licorice notes, very drinkable. Not available in BC - we purchased our bottle in Alberta. Vertical was voted as Vodka of the Year by Wine & Spirits Buying Guide 2005.

This is a delightful vodka. The story is that King Sigismund III commissioned the court alchemist to produce a spirit of exceptional style and quality. The Alchemist created this elixir of “legendary excellence”. The “court was delighted, and just enough was never again too much”. It comes in a beautiful bottle, and is distilled from Rye Wheat & Barley. ($69 at BCLDB). The U’Luvka is smooth, fresh and clean, traces of nuts and vanilla when tasted over ice. Slightly vanilla on the nose. Very drinkable indeed. They have an outstanding web site. http://www.uluvka.com/. It sells for $69 for 750 ml at BC liquor stores. It's not a vodka to mix with your favourite fruit juice, but will suit the "classic martin" drinker's tastes. BCLDB SKU #589523 / UPC #05060103020102

Belvedere Vodka, Poland
Belvedere is a higher-end full-bodied, character-laden spirit that was a welcome addition to the BCLDB in the late 1990s. It is distilled at the Polmos Zyrardów Distillery from premium rye and underground spring water. It is first distilled in an alembic still, making it more costly to produce, but adds to the vodka's character. It is then triple-distilled in a continuous still, which lightens it significantly. The vodka is then triple-filtered. The vodka has a subtle bouquet of pine and dried herbs. It is very smooth, and has notes of pepper and citrus. BCLDB SKU 437772 $51.99

This vodka was originally produced at the historic Rajamäki Distillery, located just outside of Helsinki, which had been producing vodka since 1888. Around 1988, distillation moved to a new facility, the Koskenkorva Distillery. Finlandia Vodka is distilled from premium, six row barley and glacier-fed spring water. It is triple-distilled in continuous column stills to 96% alcohol by volume, then diluted with the same glacial spring water to its bottle strength of 40%. Finlandia is a good neutral vodka with a silky texture, medium-weight body and a grain aroma, and a clean taste with a hint of vanilla. Smooth, with a crisp, clean finish. 750 ml bottle sells for $21.75 in BC liquor stores (SKU 020362).

Grey Goose vodka hit the BC market in the late 1990's and was quickly found behind the bar of our finer establishments. The vodka is distilled in small batches in copper stills using limestone-filtered water from the Gente Springs. It is an ultra-smooth vodka, clear and crisp with very little other flavours or bouquet. Clean and crisp, yet smooth. It markets itself as the world's best tasting vodka, yet there is very little taste compared to some other high-end vodkas. In Jackie's opinion - over priced for what you get. In 750 ml $49.99 SKU 547661.

Wyborowa Single Estate is produced from a single variety of premium rye, Dankowskie Zlote Zyto (Dankowskie Golden Rye), and is produced according to traditional Polish methods perfected over 600 years. "While creating Wyborowa Single Estate, our vision was to craft an innovative super-premium vodka which combines Polish heritage, innovative packaging and the highest quality spirit. Truly unique vodka begins production at the moment the farmers start to sow the finest rye seeds on selected fields, during the right season. This is the moment when the exquisite quality of Wyborowa Single Estate begins," says Cesar Giron, CEO of Wyborowa SA. (source: thedrinkshop.com).

Definitely a premium vodka, and a vodka with some flavour. Almost like almonds, and citrusy, this is a smooth vodka. Excellent to sip on neat....which is rare for a vodka! 750 ml $45.18, SKU 602789

Jackie, born in Shetland, almost fell over in the liquor store the day she first saw this product in BC! It instantly became a favourite. We have taken the description from the Blackwood web site:

This is an ultra-smooth vodka, and although best from the freezer, tastes just fine at room temperature! At room temperature there is a smooth chocolaty flavour that goes down so well. Unfortunately this vodka is no longer available in BCLDB.

Alps vodka is 100% natural with no additives, flavours, sugars, colours or aromas. Alps uses water that is filtered though huge beds of granite taking over 100 years to complete its journey from the glaciers of the French Alps to the natural springs of ALPS thousands of feet below the surface. Alps uses only 100% French grown wheat. An exclusive, single strain wheat grown only for Alps Vodka in the Brie region of France where the soils are rich in Potassium & Chalk. It is 5X distilled and 5X filtered. Alps Vodka has faint, yet complex aromas of dried flowers, herbs, pepper and spice reminiscent of a gin! On the palate, it is full, smooth, and crisp, with sweet, peppery flavors that resemble the nose. The finish is long, smooth and warm and slightly sweet, almost chocolaty. 750 ml, $33.99, SKU 432591 - EXCELLENT Value!!

Siku means "ice" in Greenlandic and is made from pure glacier ice from the Qalerallit Sermia glacier in Greenland. Siku is the only vodka in the world that transforms glacier ice directly into vodka without ever becoming water...... check out the web site. http://www.sikuvodka.com/

It has no odour, and is very smooth, with vanilla flavour. Highly recommended by Dipsophilia. At BCLDB, SKU #9639 / UPC #00899512000017 $49.99 for 750 ml.

We call Hangar One “really serious vodka” because we use craft methods and we’re totally serious about what we do.

That means we try to find the absolute best ingredients. Then we work with them in very small batches. We use small hand-operated stills to turn our fresh, real fruit into something a person really loves to drink.

We make the best vodka we know how to. We start with well-made column-still vodka (from U.S. mid-western wheat), and then we apply our wonderful craft methods, developed from centuries of European hands-on pot-distilling.

Until a few years ago, all commercial vodkas were made on the column stills, an apparatus for mass-production patented in 1831, part of the Industrial Revolution. Column stills can make good spirits, but we believe very firmly that truly great product is made by an individual distiller using hand methods on a small-batch pot still.

First, we pot-distill a vodka using wine from excellent viognier grapes, which is a very expensive thing to do. This is lovely stuff - soft, aromatic, and unbelievably smooth. Next, we blend this viognier wine vodka into well-made column-still wheat vodka.

The viognier wine vodka makes Hangar One Straight vodka pure, elegant, tasty, and very, very smooth. There’s no unpleasant ethanol/alcohol overtone, no burn on your tongue, no roughness in the back of your mouth. When you mix the Straight with other things, the vodka brings out the flavor without making the drink taste alcoholic. This is the way it’s supposed to be: you should just plain enjoy what you’re drinking.

Crisp and clean on the nose, very smooth, slightly nutty (or is that because I just ate some Lindt Peruvian chocolate?!). Very drinkable straight. BCLDB SKU #364612 / UPC #00027724407502 $59.99 for 750 ml.