Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka takes home the top prize at this year’s New York World Spirits Competition.

Earlier this year a panel of expert judges convened in a nondescript hotel convention hall in Brooklyn to assess merit across all major categories of spirit. It was part of the annual New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, which in just several iterations has already grown into one of the city’s premiere tasting events.

We’ve spent significant time covering the top-rated whiskies from that competition. It included several jaw-dropping surprises, all of which are worthy of exploration—if you fancy aged spirit. Now we’re going to venture into the realm of vodka. But first we must address the elephant in the room: how does one define greatness in a category that is flavorless by design?

Well, for starters, vodka isn’t flavorless, exactly. It is often confused with neutral grain spirit, but that’s a vast oversimplification. And an outdated one. Vodka doesn’t even have to be made from grain at all. It can be distilled from vegetables, fruit, honey, starches—we’ve seen compelling examples come from all sorts of base ingredients. And it certainly doesn’t need to be neutral in flavor or aroma. If you have doubts, you ought to consider cracking open a bottle of the very expression that the New York Wine & Spirits Competition dubbed the best of 2023: Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka.

The inaugural organic vodka from Lithuania is produced adhering to stringent protocols. It commences as wheat cultivated on an organic farm located in the core of the Baltic nation. After the distillation process, the substance traverses through a specialized linen filtration system, attributing a distinguished smoothness and refined viscosity to the vodka.

While there could be a debate about the presence of any gimmick, it is unambiguous that the fundamental wheat element bestows an enjoyable sweetness on the palate. This sweetness persists and is prominent even in the aftertaste, leading to flavor contemplation in vodka.

To ascertain, Stumbras, the producer, isn’t hinting at flavored vodka. In reality, the company is renowned for another variant, notably a cranberry flavor, which was also acknowledged by New York judges for its exceptional bitterness. With over 115 years of expertise, the company exhibits mastery over its craft.

The award-winning organic expression can be easily spotted on American racks, priced approximately at $20 per bottle. The subtle characteristics of its tasting notes stipulate it as a fitting pair with tonic or soda, preferably served over ice. Particularly, the integration of lemon or lime, the bitter and sour elements of citrus, aptly counterbalance the sweetness of 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)