Reisetbauer Axberg Premium Vodka

Reisetbauer was founded in 1995 by Hans Reisetbauer in Axberg, Upper Austria, a distillery built around sustainable farming where the raw materials are grown organically on its own fields and the whole process is handled manually. Axberg Vodka is made from the robust Mulan wheat variety, chosen for its clear structure and natural fruit sweetness with no need for added sugar. Unusually for vodka, it is produced by the traditional pot-still process in copper kettles rather than continuous columns, which keeps a little more of the wheat's gentle character, and frost and sterilisation filters then strip out any cloudiness for a crystal-clear, pure result.

The nose is elegant and fine. The palate is neutral, soft and elegant with the wheat's natural roundness, leading to a long finish. Given its clean, organic pedigree and pot-still softness, it is best appreciated where nothing distracts from it, so serve it neat and lightly chilled in a small tasting glass, just cool rather than freezer-cold, so the faint natural sweetness of the Mulan wheat stays readable instead of being numbed by deep cold.