Sapling makes eco-friendly living oh-so-easy with its climate positive vodka. On each bottle you’ll find a code which tells you more about the tree you helped to plant, simply by buying a bottle. I think the triple distillation tradition in Scotland came from Ireland. Also, Hazelburn is triple distilled and Springbank is 2.5 Times distilled (some of the low wines being added to some of the feints in a third cycle). Three Olives make fun vodka, and for a lot of us that’s what we’re looking for when we make a drink. We’ve signed out and we’re after a good time, and this mentality is clearly shared by those who work at this English distillery. Dixon said: “This was an interesting flavour combination with attractive aromas of both flavour components,” and those qualities were what led it to eventually being awarded the coveted Taste Master award for the day.

My personal preference by far is ARDBEG 10, but I would never say it is better, simply it is different enough to be my personal preference. If you’re going to go for Absolut, you should make it Elyx — the brand’s most premium bottle in the range. The Swedish spirit is made with wheat and opens with a bright citrus nose. Crafted in Austria, this rye vodka is distilled in small batches. Made from just two ingredients – Old World, non-GMO rye and oxygen-rich mountain spring water sourced from the Rhein River beneath the Alps. 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.Meanwhile Asda beat off all competition when it comes to the best value branded spirit across the board. Last but not least, Spirytus Rektyfikowany is a classic Polich vodka that you can’t miss. If you like your alcohol strong, this brand has an extreme ABV of 95%, not for the faint-hearted! Because of its strong alcohol content, we recommend trying it in an infusion or as a base for liqueurs, as it definitely wouldn’t go down well drunk neat! For a long time, the best vodkas were judged on their neutrality (the less flavour the better, right?). Long viewed as a spirit for mixing, not sipping, it played second fiddle to gin, tequila, rum and er, pretty much everything else. If you can taste the years of vodka distilling and knowledge of the craft, Ketel One is the vodka for you. The brand has developed over 300 years of Dutch family distilling of wheat vodka. So many years of experience give the vodka a crisp and sophisticated taste and flavour, with a hint of sweet citrus. We recommended this vodka as the perfect accompaniment to go with your martini.

Asda has revealed several new and exclusive drink lines, perfect for any celebration or ideal as a gift. These exciting releases bring to life Asda’s new, own-label brand , The Distiller, and expand on its existing Extra Special alcohol range.Named after the famous Polish composer, Frederic Chopin, this is as smooth a drop as you will find in a spud-based vodka. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a cold evening, roaring fire and one of the great man’s piano pieces. Silent Pool has long reigned supreme in the battle of the gins, and now the team has created a British 100% rye vodka. Although fairly neutral, the panel enjoyed a raw almond nuttiness on the nose, that led to clean, fresh tasting pepper on the palate. There are currently 298 bottles on sale across the UK's supermarkets, and Vouchercloud found that the best value branded vodka is currently a 1litre bottle of Vladivar.

In contrast with its intimidating name, this Russian vodka has a creamy sweetness and slight notes of anise. Again, it’s the fact that this spirit goes through the distillation process several times that results in such a lovely and polished finish. Smirnoff No. 21 is probably the world’s most recognised vodka brand, and for a good reason. Always reliable, Smirnoff produces triple-distilled vodka with an extra smooth finish everyone loves. It is filtered ten times using their unique method to create some of the world’s most pure vodka. They also have a variety of different flavours and infusions. Union Press Ltd | Wigglesworth House, Fourth Floor, 69 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HH, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7803 2420 David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, chaired a second group. He was joined by: Stephen Kennard, of SMJK Consulting; Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer at Harvey Nichols; and Ivan Dixon, independent spirits consultant. Polish vodka is revered around the world, and Belvedere is our go-to brand. The brand skips the filtration step altogether, which allows the subtle rye flavour to shine through.In 2008, French group Pernod Ricard acquired Absolut for the magnificent sum of €5.63 billion. Absolut is the third largest alcohol spirit brand in the world, and you don’t become that successful without doing some things very right. Now, in our opinion, it’s not the tastiest vodka out there, but for the product that you do get for the money that you pay…well, it’s hard to beat. Buy it here (Dan Murphy’s) Buy it here (First Choice) Buy it here (Liquorland) Image: Supplied | Svedka 4. Svedka