Lex by Nemiroff Ultra Premium Vodka

Nemiroff is the leading vodka producer in Ukraine, and Lex is its top-tier expression, made at the LVN distillery and dressed in a bottle designed by the French designer Philippe Seye. The base is carefully selected wheat, which gives the soft, rounded mouthfeel the brand wants, refined with secret ingredients that nudge in honey and herbal notes. It is then rested for around six months and passed through an eleven-stage filtration, a long polishing process that strips the last harsh congeners for a notably smooth spirit. It bottles at 40%.

The nose is fresh and herbal with honey, vanilla and a touch of chilli, and the palate follows the same line, soft but with a gentle spicy warmth from the chilli, honey sweetness and fresh herbs, into a long finish. A vodka this layered is wasted in a mixer, so serve it neat and very cold from the freezer in a small chilled glass, sipped slowly. The low temperature tames the chilli into a quiet warmth and lets the honey and vanilla come through, which is exactly how a six-month-rested, heavily filtered vodka is meant to be read.