By
George Brozowski
Well,
well what do you know a Vodka from Siberia, who
would have thought of that? I am almost completely convinced
that Vodka is distilled in every country in the world and
made form just about anything with a little natural sugar
content that can be fermented into alcohol. Why, I just recently
learned that Vodka is also distilled in South Africa!
Everything
I pretty much know about Siberia can be summed up by two facts.
It's seriously cold up there and if you get sent to a prison
in Siberia you will never be heard from again. Well I guess
it can't be all that bad since 40 million people call it home.
And on top of that it's huge, much bigger than the entire
United States.
Unless
you can read the Cyrillic alphabet, the label on this clear
bottle will simply confuse the hell out of you as it did me.
Below those large strange letters are the 2 words Five
Lakes which is the translation of those strange symbols.
This refers to the region of Siberia this Vodka comes from
as well as the water used in this vodka. Curiously there really
are only 4 lakes that have been discovered in the area and
the fifth is believed to exist as a mythical source of the
fountain of youth. The locals also believe that these waters
have healing properties as well.
The
web site for this Vodka doesn't go into much detail on this
spirit except to say that it is distilled 7 times, filtered
8 times and chilled before final filtration and bottling.
The water used contains trace amounts of silver and other
minerals. The bottle indicates that the Vodka is made with
natural flavors added, but does not state which kind of flavors.
After digging around a bit I learned that two of the possible
flavors are essence of honey and bison grass. Well as it turns
out one of my favorite Vodka flavors just happens to be bison
grass, go figure!!
Well
let's dive into this Vodka before I drive myself crazy trying
to imagine what it could possibly taste like with all that
stuff going on.
The nose is surprisingly full for a Vodka that, by the very
definition of Vodka, should be without any aroma. I detect
the minerals, a hint of sweetness and of course the bison
grass as expected. But there is also a fullness or presence
to the aroma that is thicker than normal Vodka. It's as if
they managed to capture the terroir of its origin. It is very
pleasing and quite inviting.
On
the palate the Vodka lies quiet and smooth at first. You can
definitely pick up the oiliness and I mean that in a good
way. The slight sweetness seems to come to the front followed
by the bison grass and then the minerals Since I have no idea
what silver tastes like I can't comment on that aspect of
this spirit.
The
finish is long and politely peppery leaving behind a mouthful
of minerals, bison grass and an indistinct sweetness. This
Vodka is a pleasant departure from ordinary Vodka and its
tastes are subtle enough to be interesting without becoming
overwhelming. I could definitely drink this on a regular basis
and at only $16.99 per 750ml bottle it is very, very affordable.
As a matter of fact I would classify it as a super premium
Vodka at half of the expected price. If you can find 5
Lakes Vodka in your local liquor store or watering
hole try it, you won't be disappointed.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.fivelakesvodka.com/
