Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka wins the grand prize at the New York World Spirits Competition this year.

Earlier in the year, a panel of expert judges gathered at a nondescript hotel convention facility in Brooklyn to evaluate across all primary spirit categories. This procedure was part of the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition which in a few editions has already evolved into one of the city’s notable tasting events.

We’ve spent ample time focusing on the top-rated whiskies of that competition. It featured several stunning surprises, all of which are worth investigating if you are into aged spirit. We’re now going to delve into the territory of vodka. But first, we need to confront the elephant in the room: how can one determine excellence in a category designed to be flavorless?

Well, vodka isn’t exactly flavorless. It is commonly equated with neutral grain spirits, but this is a gross oversimplification. And an outdated one. Vodka doesn’t even have to originate from grain. It can be distilled from vegetables, fruits, honey, starches—we’ve witnessed persuasive instances come from a variety of base ingredients. And it certainly doesn’t have to be neutral in taste or scent. If you’re skeptical about this, you might consider trying the very expression that the New York Wine & Spirits Competition named the best of 2023: Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka.

The first organic vodka to ever come out of Lithuania is crafted according to strict parameters of production. It begins its life as wheat grown on an organic farm, deep in the heart of the Baltic nation. After distillation, the liquid passes through a proprietary linen-based filtration. This process is said to imbue the vodka with its notable smoothness and subtle viscosity.

You can debate whether or not there’s some element of gimmick to be found there. But what’s certain is that the wheat at its core imparts a pleasing sweetness upon the palate. It carries through, into the aftertaste, where you’re left to ponder the lingering nuance of this flavor. Yes, flavor—in vodka.

And, to be clear, we’re not talking about flavored vodka. In fact, Stumbras specializes in one of those as well. Namely, a cranberry variant, which was also recognized by the judges in New York for its exceptional bitter notes. The company has the craft pretty well dialed-in after over 115 years of getting the job done.

You can find its award-winning organic expression on American shelves rather easily, priced at around $20 per bottle. The aforementioned subtleties of its tasting profile marks it as a natural fit against tonic or soda, served over rocks. Especially if you’re going to add lemon or lime into the mix, with the tart and bitter elements of citrus balancing out all things sweet from the wheat in the vodka.

Or do the unthinkable: try the 80-proof spirit neat. Maybe you’ll be able to call out some of the same grassy aromatics in the liquid that won over those contest judges back in Brooklyn. Perhaps you, too, will call it one of the more interesting vodka on shelves today. But what you won’t be able to do is call it flavorless.

LITHUANIA – NOVEMBER 25: Mill, Open air ethnographic museum, Rumsiskes, Dzukija, Lithuania. (Photo …[+] by DeAgostini/Getty Images)