Stolichnaya Vodka

What a beautiful aroma this has! It's immediately apparent that this is a wheat-forward vodka as it has that clean, crisp vaguely sweet smell that defines most wheat vodkas but the sharp scent of alcohol is almost missing here as if someone had filtered out that aroma yet retained the strong traces of wheat. Towards the backend of the nose there are some notable spicy notes. Curious, I looked up the base ingredients and found out that this is a wheat & rye vodka. If I had to guess, I'd say this is 70-80% wheat and 20-30% rye based on the smell alone. I'm not sure if there is any official data on this but my impression was wheat with a nice backdrop of rye to keep it interesting. Though easy to miss there's a faint squeezed orange peel scent also present in the mix which I grew quite fond of. Wow is the nose ever misleading! I was expecting it to be a subtle experience with just a bit of a spicy kick towards the end but this quite the opposite, as it displays a rather robust, extremely forward flavor profile. The front palate opens up with quite a burst as the clean, vague sweetness of the wheat undergoes a precarious tug-of-war with the forceful, spicy and assertive rye notes. Around the midpalate both flavors curiously begin to peak without one overtaking the other: the wheat grain becomes more defined as well as a more intense spark of sweetness while the rye spice kicks into full gear but unlike the front palate where the two flavors feel like they're vying for prominence, here they both appear to be going for a common goal, which seems to be to merge with the orange peel of the nose highlighting both the bitterness and sweetness that should entail. I should note here that the midpalate does show the rye more prominently but as stated before, it isn't quite overshadowing the wheat sweetness so much as engaging in a careful duet though I wanted to mention it lest someone think this is a vodka that's remotely mild in nature. Keeping that music metaphor going, the finish is akin to having the spicy rye hit its high notes while the sweet, crisp wheat provides background vocals with the bold rye complementing the mild alcohol kick rather nicely. The finish is a textbook example of how the alcohol isn't necessarily some flaw to be hidden but a potential tool to add some character to the proceedings. I will say though that based on the taste itself, I would guess the composition is closer to 60% wheat and 40% rye. Anymore than that and I fear the wheat would be lost by the grandiose pomp of the rye. Despite the decidedly bold finish Stolichnaya is an elegant performer providing no discernable burn nor itch going down the throat. Much as I described the nose as being clean, the finish too feels expertly done. I did get quite a bit of rye spice in my throat that lingered for quite a while but this is something I would label as a positive much the same as a good hot sauce will leave a mark after it's ingested without that mark being unpleasant. It's funny too because the rye stays on your tongue like a good peppery burst for 6 or so seconds and as it begins to fade away you're left with softer grain deliciousness from the wheat as your throat burns pleasantly from the rye-alcohol mix. The citrus doesn't quite go away either but the best descriptor for it would be almost pulpy in nature. Again, it's quite easy to miss and I didn't notice it until I had grown more accustomed to the sharper flavors. Stoli is quite the experience to savor and mull over. Most of my experience is with American vodkas and this is quite the introduction to more of the Eastern European conceptions of what vodka can be. I've had a few styles kind of like these before but few so expertly crafted let alone this affordable. Unlike other vodkas where I felt like I had to tease out their inner flavors and spirit, Stolichnaya felt more extroverted and ready to be understood by senses. I can see why it's so beloved by vodka connoisseurs and how it can work really well in a vast array of cocktails. By far one of the best options on the market.

It is a requirement that you drink Ice cold from the fridge or freezer and served in a shot glass. Any other way is wasting one of if not the best neat vodkas on the planet. Goes down like silk and has no awful aftertaste as many cheap American vodkas have. Great for first vodka drinkers as it is smooth as hell to drink.