Bellmon Vodka

Bellmon is a family distillery in Günzburg, Germany, with more than two centuries of history, and its organic vodka is made from wheat grown under controlled organic cultivation in the Black Forest, cut with spring water from the same region. The spirit is distilled an unusually high 49 times, which steadily strips away congeners and fusel oils to leave a very pure, soft base, and wheat gives it that characteristic rounded, slightly sweet mouthfeel. After distillation it is only simply filtered, the idea being that so many distillation passes have already done the cleaning, leaving a little of the grain's natural softness intact. Every bottle is filled by hand.

The nose is fresh and pure with delicate cereal and a hint of mineral water. The palate is soft and smooth with a mild, slightly sweet character and a touch of herbs, finishing long and clean. With its mild, lightly sweet wheat body, it makes a clean Vodka Tonic: a measure over ice with a good neutral tonic and a wedge of lime, a low-key serve where the vodka's organic softness keeps the drink rounded rather than sharp.