Belvedere Vodka Altitude Edition + Led Lichtsticker

Belvedere is distilled at Polmos Zyrardow in Poland and made entirely from Polish rye under the protected Polska Wodka tradition, which means the grain and the production both have to be Polish. Rye is the reason this vodka tastes the way it does: it brings a dry, peppery spice and a clear cereal note that wheat or corn would not give you. The spirit is distilled four times to smooth the texture and bottled without additives or flavourings, and the Altitude Edition simply wraps that liquid in an ice-blue bottle with an LED light sticker for the back bar.

The nose is fine and pure, with fresh rye, white blossom, citrus and a touch of minerality. The palate is balanced and smooth with a subtle sweetness, that grain depth and a flick of white pepper, before a long, cool finish. The rye spice is what to build on: pour it over a big block of ice and top with a good ginger ale and a squeeze of lime for a rye highball, where the ginger heat and the grain pepper push in the same direction and the LED base earns its keep at the table.