Karlsson’s Gold Vodka Review

Karlsson’s Gold Vodka is distilled from virgin new potatoes grown in Sweden’s Cape Bjar. This ‘07 entrant to the U.S. market is made by Bjore Karlsson, who helped create Absolut, one of the world’s most popular and better-produced vodkas.

Karlsson’s Gold is an industry rarity, in that it’s the product of a single distillation and is unfiltered. To give this more weight, Smirnoff is distilled three times, Svedka Vodka and I Spirit Vodka are distilled five times, Tito’s goes through six distillations and Russian Standard Imperia is distilled a whopping eight times. Karlsson’s Gold is a testament to the fact that quality raw materials and proper distillation technique far outweigh the practice of multiple distillations. And whereas most vodka is stripped of flavor via three or more distillations, Karlsson’s retains lots of its natural flavors and aromas.

On the nose Karlsson’s is rich and creamy, with an earthy bouquet upfront followed by some vanilla, citrus and cocoa. Take a sip to find more chocolaty flavors, which are turning into a pleasant surprise. Behind that sweet and creamy component is a peppery spice that leads to a clean, lingering finish.

Pretty good stuff. Karlsson’s recommends adding some freshly ground black pepper to the vodka, which tastes about how you’d expect – Karlsson’s with black pepper. But it seems to bring out more of the vodka’s natural pepper notes.

We’ve made it no secret that we’re not vodka guys, but Karlsson’s Gold Vodka isn’t your typical category representative. Cheers to the company for creating a vodka with plenty of aroma, flavor and character.

Stats:
– 40% Alcohol by Volume
– $40

CE Rating: ★★★★