Heritage & Distillery
Vestal is one of the most intellectually ambitious vodka brands on the market — a project founded by William Borrell that applies the wine world's concept of terroir and vintage to Polish potato vodka. Each release is a single-vintage, single-variety expression that showcases the character of a specific potato variety harvested in a specific year from a specific region of Poland. The 2015 vintage uses Miranda potatoes — a variety prized for its fruity, delicate character — from the Podlasie region of eastern Poland.
The price — just sixteen pounds and twenty-five pence for a 50cl bottle — is, frankly, absurd for a spirit of this quality and philosophical ambition. Vestal's commitment to transparency, terroir, and vintage expression at such an accessible price point is one of the vodka world's great bargains.
Tasting Notes
The nose is fruity and creamy — plums, pears, macadamia nuts, and a subtle vanilla undertone that creates a profile more evocative of a fine dessert wine than a conventional vodka. On the palate, the vodka is delicately fruity with vanilla cream, ripe pear, stone fruit, and macadamia nuttiness. For a potato vodka, it is remarkably light and elegant, eschewing the heavy creaminess of Chopin in favour of a more delicate, fruit-forward character. The finish is medium with lingering fruit, cream, and a gentle, nutty warmth.
Verdict
At eight out of ten, Vestal 2015 is a vodka that punches so far above its price point as to make the scoring almost irrelevant — this is a spirit of genuine distinction and intellectual interest that costs less than many supermarket vodkas of incomparably lesser quality. The single-vintage, single-variety concept is executed with skill and conviction, and the resulting spirit offers a drinking experience that rewards attention and invites comparison. Essential purchasing for the curious vodka drinker.
