Vodka Guide: How Craft Vodkas Are Making This Neutral Spirit Tasty Again

PUBLISHED February 22nd, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED February 28th, 2021 10:23 pm

Most of us were introduced to vodka as the liquor you drink to get sloshed – colourless, tasteless, and best tossed back as a shot or mixer. Widely drunk but little respected, this neutral spirit can have far more personality than first impressions suggest. This is especially true with the growing number of distillers getting crafty with vodka in the last five years, bringing out a startling range of flavour experiences (no, we’re not just talking flavoured vodka). Here’s a second look at this clear liquid, along with our shortlist of intriguing craft vodkas you can find in Singapore.

Vodka: The Purest Spirit?

Vodka and Russia tend to go hand-in-hand in our minds – to the chagrin of Poland. The earliest vodka-like neutral spirits arose in Poland around the 8th century, though it was only from the 15th century that Russia began producing vodkas which were pot-distilled.

The 1830s brought the breakthrough invention of the column still, and with it, vodka as we know it today – clean, pure, and close to flavour-free. Today, the biggest producers hail from what’s been dubbed the ‘vodka belt’ of Northern Europe: Russia, along with Poland, Sweden, and Latvia. American exports make up a big portion of the pie too – think giants like Smirnoff and Tito’s.

Few rules govern the base ingredients for vodka production – it can be made from just about any starchy, fermentable raw material. Most often, this means potatoes or grains like corn and wheat, but these days, you’ll also find craft producers pushing the boundaries with experimental choices, such as honey, grapes, and apples.

Vodka’s defining trait is its ‘purity’, typically achieved through column distillation and filtering. To remove impurities after fermentation, the fermented wash is distilled in a column still several times – usually around three, though a couple of producers have pushed it to extremes of eight and more. Distillation produces a 190-proof (or 95% ABV) vodka – while stripping it of much of its flavour-giving congeners in the process. This can be filtered through materials like charcoal to further remove impurities, before being diluted to 40% ABV or higher.

Tasting Notes

Vodka, at its very worst, has a bad rep for ‘tasting like gasoline’ (or like an impending hangover). But that really wouldn’t be doing justice to the nuances it’s capable of. In terms of texture, vodka has plenty of range from light-bodied to richer in the mouth; potato vodkas tend to feel a tad creamier and oilier, while wheat and barley vodkas lean crisp.

More so than in other spirits, water plays a focal role in vodka’s taste – it’s key to the clean and smooth profile prized by producers. Spring water and glacier water are popular sources, and labels frequently touting the pure, pristine virtues of the water used. That doesn’t quite mean this neutral spirit is completely empty of flavour, of course. Just as tap water and mineral water taste distinct, vodka’s variances are simply far more subtle – you might find that potato vodkas have earthier hints, while corn vodkas have a sweeter finish.

While the craft wave that’s hit gin and beer hasn’t been as quick to embrace vodka, there’s certainly a growing handful of distillers getting crafty with this clear spirit. Standouts in recent years have been Alaska Distillery’s smoked salmon vodka and Smoke Lab Vodka, India’s first homegrown premium craft vodka distilled from Basmati rice. The boldest are even dabbling in vodka vintages. Take Chopin Vodka‘s Family Reserve, a series of expressions released annually to showcase variances in the year’s weather and harvest – in much the same way wines are celebrated as expressions of terroir.

Food Pairings

What wine is to cheese, vodka is to caviar – this traditional Russian pairing is a delicious juxtaposition between acidic cleanness and salty richness. Other than caviar, vodka pairs well with all sorts of deeply savoury dishes.

To bring out the nutty, buttery nuances in many vodkas, think smoked meats – smoked salmon and eel, sausage and hams, dried beef, or even steak tartare. Briny greens like capers and pickled veggies balance nicely with vodka too, and you can use this crisp spirit for cutting through creamy, mellow cheeses like brie.

Where to Get Craft Vodkas in Singapore

Ginealogy

Boutique bottle shop Ginealogy is dedicated to Canadian craft spirits, handpicked by drinks-loving duo Chris and Ru. Their current range spans just three Québec distilleries, among them Cirka Distilleries – the birthplace of Québec’s first grain-to-bottle vodka. Dubbed the Cirka Vodka Terroir (S$99), this stunning expression is crafted from non-GMO corn grown in Québec and water filtered with maple leaves, and distilled only once. The result is a rich, velvety vodka laced with caramel notes, lovely in an espresso martini and just as good sipped neat.

Shop Ginealogy’s collections here. 

Woodstock Beverages

Besides a sizeable stash of sake and whiskies, you’ll find an intriguing trove of artisanal vodkas at Woodstock. The NAUD French Vodka (S$82), for one, transforms French winter wheat into a roasty, hazelnut-forward bottling, distilled once in Charentais copper pots for a smooth finish with hints of pastry. If you love your superfoods, you might want to try FAIR’s Quinoa Vodka (S$85) – this fair trade-certified vodka is made with organic quinoa sourced from the Andes Mountains.

Shop Woodstock’s collections here. 

The Liquor Bar

A bottle shop with a brick-and-mortar Geylang store, The Liquor Bar has a sprawling collection of spirits both commercial and craft. Dig deeper for unusual numbers like Black Cow Vodka (S$95) – a creamy, vanilla-sweet expression made purely from milk leftover from a Dorset farm’s cheese-making process. Or get enchanted by the Babicka Wormwood Vodka (S$115), a bewitching, herbaceous vodka distilled from Czech wormwood and water drawn from a 10,000-year-old spring.

The Liquor Bar is located at 93 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389205, p. +65 6253 2153. Open Mon-Sat 10am–7.30pm. 

Wines N Spirits

Wines N Spirits is all about good booze at wholesale prices, and their small vodka collection has some stellar gems. Among their bottlings worth snagging is the 42 Below Feijoa Vodka (S$45), which comes infused with sweet, heady New Zealand feijoa that packs a tart bite. For an eco-friendly toast from Iceland, the distillation behind Reyka Vodka (S$92) is sustainably powered by geo-thermal energy from underground volcanoes. Made with glacial spring water and filtered through lava rocks, it’s purity in a bottle.

Shop Wines N Spirits’ collections here. 

Top Image: Mathilde Langevin on Unsplash