Vikingfjord

Vikingfjord is vodka with purity at an excellent value. I just heard of this product about 6 months ago from our friends at Downtown Wine + Spirits on Gay St and it has become my staple mixing vodka of choice. I was stocking up on Maker’s Mark and needed some additional booze for my bar and the store clerk suggested I give it a try. Priced around $20 a handle it is just a hair more than mid-range vodkas like Smirnoff and Svedka, but the quality is much better and costs a lot less than Stoli, Kettle One and Grey Goose.

The official website gives the full explanation of how it’s made of 5,000 year old glacier ice, the 6 step filtration process, drink recipes, etc. My concerns are always about drinkability and how it tastes. Vodka is not something I drink neat, on the rocks, or in a martini, therefore taste isn’t a primary concern for me in this instance. However Vikingfjord happens to taste just fine straight out of the bottle – smooth and no burning, horrible ethanol aftertaste; this is not Popov. So far I’ve had it with ice picks, bloody marys, the usual juices and tonics. Works every time.

Since it is filtered so well they must want you to drink a shitload of it because there isn’t a pour spout on it to speak of (the ½ gallon size anyway). They have some kind of plastic ring in the bottleneck, but trust me, it doesn’t slow down at all when you’re pouring. Go ahead and pour ‘em strong and drink up!