The World’s Best title reflects the quality of the finest alphonso mangoes, prized for their sweetness that we sourced from India’s Ratnagiri, which are distilled rather than infused for a fuller, smooth flavour. All of our vodkas are distilled seven times from creamy, English winter wheat, grown in Oxfordshire.” Premium vodka brand Desi Daru Vodka has announced its continued expansion within the London bar scene.

Louers Vodka walked away with the top award, described by Prousaefs as having: “Lemon peel and freshly cut grass on the nose. Excellent mouthfeel with very long aftertaste and a hint of bitterness at the end.” Eleven Golds were given out, including one to Neft Vodka, enjoyed for its “smooth palate with a nice body and texture”, and Sapling Climate Positive Vodka, with its nose of “fresh and toasted grain” and “nutty sweetness” on the palate. Other Golds went to Koskenkorva Vodka Climate Action, enjoyed for its “delicate sweetness and hints of white chocolate and earthy spice”, the “sweet and earthy” Jean Marc XO Vodka, and the “clean and crisp” White Claw Spirits Triple Wave Filtered Premium Vodka.

First of all, Cardi Bay Vodka received a Master medal for its “delicate nose with notes of vanilla and coconut”. “An easy tipple for a bartender to make tasty drinks with,” noted Pamplin. Distilled six times and bottled at 40% ABV, one judge loved it for its ‘’lovely smooth texture, lightly floral, plenty of character and peppery spice’’, while also also commending it for offering a great value and for being soft and approachable. The largest flight of the competition, Flavoured/Infused Vodka, saw Desi Daru Mango Vodka come out on top. Jones said that it offered: “Lovely natural mango aromas and more pulpy on the palate with a hint of tannic structure. Smooth and well-integrated alcohol.”

Made with 100% British peas, it also made one judge a fan for its “expressive green, grassy, leafy, lactic notes’’ on the nose, and ”sweet caramel notes’’ on the palate. The tasting then looked to vodkas divided by region, starting with a flight of entries from Europe (excluding Eastern Europe). Seven Gold medals were enjoyed in this round, one of which was awarded to Neft.Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (GMSC) led the third panel, which included Matt Chambers, spirits writer and co-founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog; Joyce Chou, Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s translation project manager; Zaloren Gonzalez Fontes, assistant manager of Hometipple; and Herchelle Perez Terrado, founder of Drinks Partnership. In the International Division, the Best of Category Neutral Character, Bottled & Blended, is Desi Daru, Original Vodka. Desi Daru is an Anglo-Indian vodka crafted from English winter wheat and Himalayan spring water. The vodka is produced at Wood Brothers Distillery and is distilled seven times. Founded by Mohit Singh and Aneet Kaur, the expansion sees the vodka listed at London establishments such as the Purple Bar and the Long Bar at The Sanderson, Opium and The Zetter. They are in addition to the already existing Benares, Fitzrovia’s Pahli Hill, Farzi Café and Connaught Hotel. The Vodka – Corn heat created another Master medallist: Ignite Vodka. Twemlow found “beautiful popcorn aromas and hints of citrus”, resulting in an “amazingly smooth and balanced” vodka overall. Pur Sang Standard secured Gold. Slight earthiness on the nose, a bit of citrus, and some tropical fruit aromas emerge as the vodka opens up, along with a fresh, ripe apple note. Creamy and oily on the palate. Very flavorful with notes of tropical fruits, especially banana, some pepperiness, and a custard-like quality. The finish is long and creamy, with a touch of pepperiness and lingering tropical fruit notes.

Melita Kiely, editor of The Spirits Business, and chair of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions (GMSC) led the third panel, which included: Matt Chambers, spirits writer and co-founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog; Joyce Chou, Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s translation project manager; Zaloren Gonzalez Fontes, assistant manager of Hometipple; and Herchelle Perez Terrado, founder of Drinks Partnership. She was joined by: Matt Chambers, co‐founder of the Whisky for Everyone blog, and the North London Whisky Club; and Angelo Sparvoli, head bartender at St James Bar at Sofitel St James. For consumers looking to explore what the vodka category has to offer, there can be a lot to take in. Therefore, The Global Spirits Masters Competitions hosted The Vodka Masters 2022 in August to determine the brands with the best liquid inside the bottle.

#Tasting Notes#

Unsurprisingly, the panel wasn’t short on praise for it, with Rodriguez-Curtis asserting that the “palate is fantastic, the alcohol is perfectly integrated, its balanced well and the texture rounded”.

The first panel comprised chair David T Smith, spirits consultant, writer and co‐founder of the Craft Distilling Expo; Claire Filer of The Filer Files; Anne Jones, drinks expert at Waitrose; and Marie Cheong-Thong of The Larder at 36, while the second panel was chaired by Bryan Rodriguez-Curtis, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols, who was joined by Antony Moss MW; Evan Prousaefs, bar manager at Sexy Fish in London; and Tatti Sukamongkol, wine and spirits specialist, and contributor to Malt Review. Another favourite in the Organic flight, this French vodka from A de Fussigny joined Pluto in the Masters-winning ranks for its “smooth, crisp and light” notes. The penultimate flight of the day was the biggest by far: Flavoured/ Infused Vodka. This portion of the vodka category has been growing in popularity recently, arguably enhanced by the rise of gin. Four products proved they had outstanding credentials, and were rightly rewarded with Master medals. Flying the Welsh flag was this unique vodka variant from Ewenique Spirits, which went down a treat with the panel, so much so that they gave it a Masters medal in the Ultra Premium category.

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Three Silvers were given out in the penultimate flight, Flavoured/Infused Vodka-Based Spirit Drink, including two for White Claw Spirits Co. Owned by British-born Indians Mohit and Aneet Singh, Desi Daru uses ingredients from both the jungles of Maharashtra and the English countryside. The spirit is 10-times distilled from cool-fermented organic Australian sugarcane and sits at 40% ABV. Chou noted: “I can see some very expressive combinations of flavours, and some of them did very well in bringing different flavour profiles. The fruity ones were a little bit watered down, and too fake. But the more herbal, savoury ones did very well. There were expressive characters.” On a mission to find the best vodkas on the market, this summer three panels of judges gathered at the Hippodrome in London to decide which entrants would receive coveted medals in our annual Vodka Masters blind tasting competition.