ICE Awards 2010

Vodka

Welcome to our third Imbibe Club Elite awards…

ICE is the competition where we at Imbibe magazine put some of the top champagnes and spirits in the world to the test to help you decide what you should be stocking at the northernmost reaches of your list. I know, I know, we’re too good to you...

In our quest for quality, we make only one important proviso: that all the entries are readily available to the on-trade. So, there are no weird and wonderful limited releases, only great stuff that you can buy now.

And if you think there are one or two big names missing, it’s either because they were asked to participate but refused, or because they entered but weren’t the star performers.

Obviously, in tasting the best of the best you have to be careful about what you allow in, and our selection criteria were rigorous. For drinks such as cognac, tequila or champagne, we used their ready-made age classifications; for others, such as gin or blended scotch we set a minimum price.

We ran the awards the same as usual. To begin with, the entries were bagged-up, tasted blind and scored out of 20 by each of our judges. Then, the bags came off and each bottle was awarded a further score out of 10 for the premiumness of its look. The combined ‘taste and look’ scores gave each bottle its overall ICE total, and we’ve recorded the top few in each category.

Why should a product’s appearance count towards its score? Because when a customer shells out big money for a luxury bottle, he or she wants a product that looks as good as it tastes.

We hope the following awards help you in your quest to sell the best of the best.

Chris Losh, editor, Imbibe

After last year’s swing heavily in favour of assertive Eastern European vodkas, this year saw many more examples of creamier and more mellow styles.

Having said that, Stoli’s win suggested that the happiest route lies somewhere between the two, as excessive sweetness was a problem among several of the softer vodkas.

Going out on a limb stylistically definitely paid off for some brands here – the panel expressed disappointment that many vodkas weren’t more courageous about pursuing their own style, whilst accepting that this was no doubt in part a symptom of a highly competitive market.

When it came to design, elegance was not enough for this panel. Illegibility, unwieldy closures and unsuitability to being stored in the freezer were among more practical criticisms that suggested that the luxury vodka sector could spend a little more time catering for the practical needs of the bartender, as well as the vanity of the top-end consumer.

With many thanks to The Fellow for hosting the tasting

BEST BY TASTE
1	Elit by Stolichnaya
2	Wyborowa Exquisit
3	Chase
4	Grey Goose
5	Hangar One

BEST BY DESIGN
1	Wyborowa Exquisit
2	Belvedere
3	Ketel One
4	Elit by Stolichnaya
5	Grey Goose

ICE WINNER

Elit by Stolichnaya

It’s been in the winning five every year since the ICE Awards started, and this year Stoli Elit finally claimed the top spot, thanks largely to a liquid that scored a whopping nine points more than any other entry. Crisp and grassy on the nose, it quickly filled out on the palate into an invigorating mix of full-bodied creamy notes and lively pepper and aniseed, offering all the character and power one would expect from a Russian-style vodka, but with the rough bits lovingly sanded off. The rocket-shaped bottle was also reasonably popular, although a tad impractical for the freezer, several remarked.

Maxxium, 01786 430 500

ICE RUNNERS-UP

2nd Wyborowa Exquisit

Subtle and smooth, Wyborowa Exquisit had the panel plundering the dairy for similes – butter cream, vanilla, milk, chocolate and sponge cake all combined to give it an appealing roundedness, punctuated by the late arrival of some welcome spicy heat. The sexy Frank Gehry-designed bottle, meanwhile, was a clear winner.

Pernod Ricard, 020 8538 4000

3rd Grey Goose

The original luxury vodka justified its place on the back bar once more with high scores on both counts. Softly pungent on the nose, it scored highly for a mellow, very slightly smoky palate that took in hints of creamy coffee and sweet patisserie, but with a finish that was clean and sophisticated.

Bacardi-Martini, 01962 762100

4th Chase

This relative newcomer made from Herefordshire potatoes was a very fulsome number distinguished by a distinctive milk chocolate note. Its dense, aromatic nose was popular with many judges, while the chocolate/liquorice sweetness was nicely dried out by some spicy wood characters.

Chase Distillery, 01432 820920

5th Hangar One

A distinctive fruit note of apples, peaches and grapes made this a divisive entry. Some found it a little confected, others felt it was fresh and charming. Lots of feelgood top notes had one judge likening it to ‘being on a beach on a lovely summer’s day’.

Love Drinks, 020 7501 9630

the judges

Left to right: Carlo Carello, Ignite Group Stefano Cossio, The Dorchester Alessandro Palazzi, Dukes Bar Marion Saurel, The Groucho Club Mirko Falconi, The Lanesborough Lewis Wilkinson, The Met Bar

JUDGES’ COMMENTS

Alessandro Palazzi
Dukes Bar

‘I’m seeing a real increase in people drinking drier drinks like the Dirty Martini, especially among women, and for that you really want something with the dryness and spiciness you find in Eastern European-style vodkas.’

Stefano Cossio
The Dorchester

‘I found many of these were of good quality, but quite close in style – very smooth and velvety, with quite a lot of vanilla. Although I think number 1 [Stoli] has the character to match with food.’

Marion Saurel
The Groucho Club

‘It’s very hard to find that balance of flavour and character with a clean finish – that clean finish is what people want. There didn’t seem to be as much variation as I would like.’

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine - January / February 2010