A new vodka is coming to market with some serious names behind it. A collaboration between restauranteur Arrigo Cipriani (who’s father started Harry’s Bar in Venice), Lapo Elkann of Fiat Automobiles and Friulian distillers Marco Fantinel and Francesco Cosulich, I Spirit Vodka is “the essence of culture, taste and Italian flavors from yesterday and today.”
I can’t speak for that quote, but I can speak for the product itself. It’s got all the pedigreed features you’d expect to find in a top shelf vodka. The distillate is made from Friulian grapes and grain, distilled five times. The resulting spirit is then combined with filtered water from the Dolomite mountains bringing it down to 80 proof. Finally the vodka is chill filtered one last time at 0 degrees F.
The resulting spirit has a very clean aroma. Nothing really jumps out at me there. The flavor has a tiny bit of brandy essence from the grapes and the grain comes through subtly as well. As for the finish, it’s short and very clean. While there is a bit of spiciness to the spirit there is no burn. This is a top shelf vodka that I’d put on par with the other players in the field. If you’re a vodka fan and looking for a new bottle, I Spirit is worth checking out. It’s crisp and clean, just as a top shelf vodka should be.
†The product reviewed here was provided to me as a free sample. If you’re wondering what that means check out my sample policy.