Let's get to the answer right away: there are only three, yes three, types of vodka. Unlike whiskeys or gins, the types of vodka are much more limited and aren't distinguished by how long it's aged in a barrel or the region it's produced in.
1. Smirnoff. Created by a Russian serf named Pytor Smirnov, the world's best-selling vodka has been sold since 1864.
The smoothest vodka is Belvedere vodka, which is almost velvety on the tongue and has a premium flavor to match. What is the #1 vodka? The #1 vodka is Absolut. Absolut is one of the cleanest vodkas available, with a crisp, pure taste that's somehow also full-bodied and complex.
While Absolut brings in higher sales on a global scale, Grey Goose consistently makes VinePair's list of the best vodkas and is viewed as a symbol of luxury. While both are distinguished vodkas brands with massive market shares, they offer drinkers a clear choice in both style and production method.
Premium vodkas are different from the outset. They use a higher quality mix of ingredients as well as bespoke botanical infusions. More emphasis is put on producing a pleasing taste, removing the sharpness that can be found in cheaper brands.
Stoli is probably the most famous and favorable vodka brand in Russia. Consumers and bar staff prefer Stoli products since they use traditional methods with modern distillation technologies.
Smirnoff Vodka
It's one of the most reliable and inexpensive vodkas out there with several flavors to explore. The brand claims to be the world's most popular vodka and most awarded name in the category. Smirnoff is a grain-based vodka; the unflavored is available in 80-, 90-, and 100-proof bottles.
Discover why Top Shelf Distillers' craft vodka is the perfect cocktail base. Using our craft technology and 100% local ingredients, we've created an award-winning vodka. That's right - Top Shelf Vodka is a national vodka, owned and produced entirely in Canada.
Spirytus Rektyfikowany is the strongest vodka globally and the strongest commercially available alcohol in the world.
It's entirely wheat-based.
There are commercial vodkas made from potatoes, grapes, rye, and mixed grains that include barley. Grey Goose uses soft winter wheat sourced from Picardy, a grain-growing region in northern France that's often referred to as the nation's breadbasket.
Absolut Elyx is a true luxury vodka, built on the principles of quality, integrity and craftsmanship, distilled in a manually operated vintage copper still from 1921. The result is an award winning vodka with a rich and smooth mouth feel.
Absolut is the world's leading premium vodka and sixth-largest spirits brand. The brand has been part of the Pernod Ricard group since 2008. The ever-growing range is a staple in bars, restaurants and homes worldwide.
Grey Goose Vodka
Considered one of the best-tasting vodkas on the market, Grey Goose is a smooth vodka that is perfect for mixing or drinking neat. With tasting notes that include citrusy undertones and hints of vanilla, it is definitely one of the best easy-drinking vodkas out there.
Potato vodka is known as the "healthiest" of vodkas because of its gluten- and sugar-free nature. The tuber might also remain the base that results in the best vodka served over ice and/or straight up.
The main ingredients in Absolut Vodka are water and winter wheat. The water comes from a deep well in Åhus where it's protected from impurities. Winter wheat differs from other crops: it's sown in fall, and harvested the next one. Days in between it grows under the Swedish snow developing its hard grain.
Belvedere's production is regulated by the Polska Vodka legal regulation, one of the strictest in the world. As the appellation dictates, all production must take place on Polish soil, the spirit must be made of either grain or potato, and nothing else can be added.