Zlatogor Eiffelturm Vodka

Zlatogor has produced vodka at the Zolotonosha distillery in Ukraine since 2000, building its reputation on bottles shaped as landmarks and objects, here a ceramic Eiffel Tower. The spirit is a straightforward grain vodka filtered through charcoal, which pulls fusel oils and harsher compounds from the distillate and accounts for its clean profile. It is then given a 24 hour resting phase so the spirit can settle and soften before going into the bottle. At 38% in a 350ml ceramic, it is designed to be a decorative piece as much as a drink.

The nose is mild with notes of grain. The palate is clean and soft with that same cereal character, and the finish runs long. Because this is a gentle, charcoal-polished vodka, serve it neat over a single large block of ice in a small tumbler. The slow dilution from one large cube opens the soft grain note without watering it down too fast, which suits a vodka this understated and keeps the pour relaxed rather than icy and shut down.