Gin has long been the nation’s “spirit of choice”, said Stacey Smith in Good Housekeeping, but vodkas and flavoured vodka are “having a resurgence”. From potatoes and grains to grapes and even sugarcane, vodka can be made from “almost anything” and in the UK there are some unique expressions hitting the shop shelves.
Vodka is “finally getting some personality”, said Alicia Miller in The Independent. In a category “once dominated by big brands”, craft distillers are “emerging” and they are using the “same innovation and passion” as they did for the “gin wave” a few years back.
Ideal to use as a base for cocktails, or just to simply sip on the rocks, we pick out ten unique British vodkas to try.
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1. Portobello Road British Potato Vodka
This British vodka, which is made from “homegrown spuds” in Notting Hill’s famous Portobello Road, is “already making an impact”, said Good Housekeeping, despite only launching in 2021. According to the publication’s testers, the “neutral flavour” would make this a “prime candidate” for fruity cocktails.
2. X MUSE Scottish Barley Vodka
X MUSE is a vodka that’s made with “Scotland’s distillation traditions in mind”, said The Independent, and that, “of course”, means whisky and barley, Made from two “heritage” barley varieties, Plumage Archer and Marris Otter, this blended spirit “may look clear”, but it’s a got a “hugely characterful grain aroma and sweet rounded palate that tastes kind of like new-make whisky spirit before it’s been aged in the barrel”. It’s certainly a vodka “designed to be sipped, savoured and contemplated”.
3. Mermaid Salt Vodka
There’s “nothing quite like” Mermaid Salt Vodka from the Isle of Wight Distillery, said Aidy Smith in the Evening Standard, it’s a drink “I’ve come to really admire over the years”. The “subtle inclusion” of sea salt gives it a “distinct smoothness”, with a “pinch of salinity”, which works really well in cocktails, especially a dirty martini.
£41; isleofwightdistillery.com
4. Chase Original Potato Vodka
This premium English potato-based vodka has been distilled “119 times exactly”, said Jane Kenney on Drink Me, making for a “smooth” vodka with a “naturally creamy taste”. Chase Original Potato Vodka was awarded a gold medal in the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
5. Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka
West Dorset-based Black Cow proves the theory that vodka “really can be made from just about anything”, said Good Housekeeping. Using whole milk as the spirit’s base, the result is a “warm and spicy, classic vodka, with a clean, fresh hint of citrus”.
6. Blacklion Vodka
Another milk-based expression, Blacklion uses milk from rare crossbreed sheep on its Cotswolds family farm to make this “distinctive” and “unusual” vodka, said Hannah Guinness in Olive Magazine. The result is “silky and rounded”, with “subtly creamy and caramel tones”.
7. Sapling Climate Positive Vodka
Distilled four times exclusively from British wheat, for “unparalleled clarity and cleanness of flavour”, said Millie West in Esquire, Sapling’s Climate Positive Vodka “impressed” with its “light, floral and citrus flavour”. Its “beauty lies in its simplicity”, so “we recommend an elderflower or cucumber tonic to avoid overwhelming the more nuanced aromas at play”.
8. Devon Cove Vodka
King Edward potatoes are good for “more than just crispy roasties”, said Aidy Smith in the Evening Standard. Devon Cove founder Leanne Carr discovered that a combination of “Devon taters, spring water and a small-batch, traditional copper still” results in some “real magic”. Pure, clean and “as smooth as smooth can be”, this vodka is “perfect” with a “splash of tonic” and a “big ol’ wedge of pink grapefruit”.
9. Discarded Grape Skin Chardonnay Vodka
There are “a few tasty vodkas out there made from grapes”, said The Independent, but the difference here is this one has been produced using “stuff that would otherwise be destined for the bin” – leftover winemaking grape skins, pips and stalks. Discarded’s grape skin chardonnay vodka is “clean but fruity”, with “crunchy green apple notes and wafts of tropical fruit”.
10. Pod Pea Vodka
Made with 100% British peas grown at Somerleyton Farms in Suffolk, Pod Pea Vodka is “inspired by nature”, said Georgie Collins in The Spirits Business, and has been designed to sit at the heart of “classic serves” and “savoury, umami-led drinks”. Launched this year, a sustainable approach has been taken to “all elements of the production process”. Once Pod Pea Vodka is fermented, it is distilled once “to retain the flavour” then bottled in Manchester.
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