VODKA 101
By BRIAN GUSTAFSON.

Vodka is unique in the world of distilled spirits in that the better the quality, the less taste the vodka actually has. In fact, premium vodkas try hard to lessen the harshness of the alcohol and the aroma in order to make a product that goes down smooth when consumed either straight up or on the rocks. And if you chill these higher-end vodkas, even put them in the freezer, the result is memorable but not for the "bite."
Twenty-five percent of all bottles of distilled spirits sold today is vodka, and this category is growing at twice the rate of any other spirit, about three percent per year. Because vodka is traditionally made to be without a distinctive taste, vodka can be made out of nearly anything containing carbohydrates - potatoes, grain or corn are commonly used today.
Vodka is the hottest growth category, and retail sections devoted to vodka are usually the largest in the spirits area. There are literally dozens of brands battling for space on these shelves and in your home bar. Many of these brands are well known: Stolichnaya, Smirnoff, Skyy, Fris, Ketel One, Absolut, Finlandia, and Grey Goose, can be consumed alone or in cocktails. In this column, we are going to chat about three "newer" brands, targeted at the premium space, consumed chilled, over ice or "straight up."
VOX VODKA
Distilled five times for a remarkable smooth finish from 100% winter wheat in the Netherlands, VOX Vodka offers consumers the perfect expression to sip and savor or the perfect foundation for a high-end martini. "Ultra-premium vodkas such as VOX, flavored offerings and high-end martinis continue to be the dominant trends in the vodka category and spirits industry in general, states Heather Mitchell, PR Manager for Jim Beam products and spokesperson for VOX Vodka.
"As consumers continue to sip and swirl their vodkas, in a category driven by image and where quality remains a top priority, ultra-premium vodkas continue to rise in popularity and ingredients and distillations becomes a point of differentiation for this educated consumer base."
Though women have been the driving force behind this growing trend, today it is not uncommon to see men sipping a traditional martini up with a twist or even partaking in a pale pink Cosmo with their female counterparts. (Part Three in this Vodka series will explore the delicious world of the Perfect Martini.) The trend of ultra-premium flavored martinis has ignited the trend for flavored vodkas (which will be covered in our next article in this series.) "The Summer debut of VOX Raspberry is the first line extension for the popular ultra-premium VOX brand," adds Ms. Mitchell "The freshly picked raspberry flavor was perfected for three years and adds just the right combination of sweet and tart raspberry flavors to cocktails."
SHAKERS VODKA
Another new entrant into the world of ultra-high end vodkas is SHAKERS, from Infinite Spirits. SHAKERS is an ultra-smooth, six-times distilled vodka, packaged in a "martini shaker" shaped bottle. "Currently, a major trend in the vodka market is the consumers' preference for high quality, hand crafted vodkas," notes Kristin Metson, Director of Marketing for SHAKERS. "This is largely due to the increased care imparted during the production process – beginning with the use of better ingredients and more advanced distillation processes which allow for more individual tastes, aromas, textures and varying levels of smoothness."
This care and strict attention paid to every step of the process is what makes SHAKERS so enticing. "We’re very involved in every aspect of production – from the ground to the bottle, "explains Metson. "We do things a bit differently. We work with a cooperative of Minnesota wheat farmers to cultivate top quality American wheat, then distill it close to the fields at a state of the art distillery. We distill SHAKERS six times through a continuous distillation process. The last two distillations completely purify the spirit using a process called extractive distillation. Extractive Distillation, leaves the vodka exceptionally clean and pure. But we’re not finished yet, we added one more step to give SHAKERS its distinctive taste.
During the first four distillations we retain and purify a special elixir made from the natural esters and vapors of the wheat distillates. We add this special elixir to the final 192 proof spirit, then blend it with ultra pure water to its final strength of 80-proof. Then we filter with a combination of three different charcoals, made from a blend of birch, peat and coconut shells. This yields SHAKERS - uniquely fresh, clean and smooth - embodying the individual character of the American heartland."
UV VODKA
UV Vodka, produced by Phillips Distilling of Minneapolis, was recently introduced as a complement to, the line of UV Flavored Vodkas the company introduced in 2001. Phillips, the company that invented flavored vodka back in the 1950s, has gained market share in the vodka space by its unique position as the first "no-carb" vodka. Like its flavored UV predecessors, UV Vodka is a premium product priced at a value. Distilled four times from Midwest-American grain and activated carbon-filtered, it contains no additives, sugar or artificial ingredients – and has zero carbs and only 65 calories per one-ounce serving.
“UV Vodka is among the most finely distilled, intensely filtered vodkas available – at any price point. Its sensational value (about $10 per 750ml bottle), and the absence of carbohydrates are merely added benefits,” said Dean Phillips, fifth-generation President of the company. “The success of Michelob Ultra indicates that consumers are looking for low carb, low calorie beverage options. It’s time that consumers be made aware that most alcoholic beverage products, especially beer and 'malternatives' (e.g. Smirnoff Ice & Mike’s Hard Lemonade), contain substantially more carbohydrates and calories than vodka.”
In this space next month we are going to be discussing the flavored vodkas. So please watch for the next issue and when you go to buy these fine products at your local retail outlet, or in your favorite pub, please tell them that you heard about it in Windy City Suds, Wine & Spirits.