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18 Best Luxury Vodkas For Sipping And Shaking
Upgrade that espresso martini with ELLE’s expert pick of the best vodka.
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.
However, recently we’ve seen a change in the vodka scene, with a new wave of characterful vodka (not to be confused with flavoured vodka) going back to the spirit’s roots, highlighting raw ingredients, with a focus on more flavour, not less.
With that in mind, we’ve called in our spirits expert, to give you the lowdown, and recommend the best bottles worth buying right now.
Best vodka 2023
How we test vodka
Our panel of WSET-certified experts and consumers sipped 20 different vodkas neat, then diluted each with water to soften the alcohol and bring out the core flavours. They were looking for bright examples packed with citrus, spice, pepper and cream.
So whether you plan on sipping neat or rustling up a cocktail, these are the best vodkas for 2023.
Stacey is our Senior Food and Drink Editor, looking after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila.
Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine.
Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings.
Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business.
You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
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