They were on the lookout for clean, crisp vodkas, with a smooth mouthfeel and well-integrated alcohol. Belvedere really began to take off when it was distributed in America by a company called Millennium LLC which eventually bought the brand in 2001, and turned it into one of the world’s most prestigious spirits. Millennium in turn was bought outright by French drinks giant LVMH in 2005 who own Belvedere to this day. Our panel – made up of 10-accredited spirits experts and vodka-loving consumers – put 20 vodkas to the test. Each was tried neat and blind, to avoid brand bias, then followed by some water to dilute and soften the alcohol and bring out the core flavours.

Vodka can be made from almost anything. We’ve tested those made from potatoes, grains, grapes and even sugarcane. This is then fermented, before being distilled (often multiple times) to remove impurities — look out for this on the label. Next up is filtering, which gives vodka its clean mouthfeel. Although some craft distillers choose to skip this step altogether to impart a more unique flavour. Belvedere uses only Polish-grown rye sourced from eight local farms. Following fermentation, it undergoes a triple distillation to produce a spirit of great purity which is also full of flavour. As well as the flagship Belvedere Pure expression, the distillery produces some super premium versions that highlights the flavour and terroir of rye grown in Poland including the Belvedere Heritage 176 made with a proportion of high flavour malted rye spirit, and various single estate bottlings. There’s also a range of flavoured vodkas. And while rum is often associated with sunnier climates (such as the Caribbean), and tequila coming strictly from Mexico, vodka is a much more global spirit. We tested bottles from here in the UK and across Europe, with our winning bottle surprisingly coming from South Africa. How we test vodka