Ukraine is a very popular vodka producer with a number of brands that make high-quality vodka. Not only does each brand have its particularities, but Ukrainian vodka as a whole has its own specificities.
Ukrainian vodka is made of potatoes or grains, but most brands prefer potatoes as the main raw material. It is very pure, as Ukrainian vodka is often distilled over four times.
While vodka is naturally a strong and pure drink, Ukrainian vodka is extra strong and extra pure due to the multiple distillation process and charcoal filtration.
Also check: Best Russian Vodka
So what are the best Ukrainian vodka brands?
The Ukrainian way of drinking vodka is particularly interesting. They never keep an empty vodka bottle on the table, and when the bottle empties, they replace it with a new one.
The person who poured the first round pours through the entire evening. Before drinking, they clink the glasses all together at the same time and toast. They take two consecutive shots and pause between the second and third.
Of course, this is some general cultural way; the art of drinking vodka is most certainly best left to the artist drinking it.
In this article, I will give you a list of 16 Ukrainian vodka brands you have tried when you get the chance.
1. Nemiroff
Nemiroff is one of the best Ukrainian vodka brands and the most exported one, being found in over 80 countries. With a 150-year-long tradition, the brand has certainly mastered the craft of vodka-making.
Distilled 11 times, this is one of the purest Ukrainian vodka and is also world-famous for its purity. Made from wheat and the purest spring water, Nemiroff vodka is filtered with natural crystals over 540 million years old.
The brand makes several vodkas, classic and flavored vodkas, and a premium line. They have a very versatile vodka assortment, including honey with pepper flavors, Ukrainian birch special, delicate soft, Nemiroff cranberry leaf, Nemiroff premium, LEX, spicy strawberry, premium Deluxe, and premium cranberry.
The premium line consists of exotic vodkas, such as apple, pear, lemon, peach, pineapple, mango, coconut, and orange, which are definitely some of the best vodkas worldwide.
In 2019 the brand launched flavors of Bold Orange, Wild Cranberry, and Burning Pear, becoming even more versatile.
2. Khortytsa
Distilled seven times and filtered seven times, Khortysta is an extremely pure vodka. It is another very popular Ukrainian vodka brand exported to over 87 countries. It is regarded as one of the best vodka brands worldwide.
Khortytsa is known as a very natural-tasting vodka, the main tasting notes of which include citrus, slight vanilla tones, and herbal flavors.
The brand has several varieties, all with their own markings, retaining the natural, refreshing, and herbal essence of the brand.
Its assortment includes Platinum, Absolute, Ice, Silver Cool, Deluxe, Classic, and Premium vodkas. The Platinum variety is the flagship product of the brand, made with wheat and blended with pure water, using the state-of-the-art technology this brand is known for.
The rest of the varieties are also made with a lot of attention and diligence. They all feature the classic vodka taste, but what separates them from the rest of the vodka brands is their smoothness.
Khortytsa vodka is exceptionally smooth and drinkable vodka, which is what they advertise on.
This is not to say that the rest of the vodkas mentioned here aren’t smooth, but this one has a very particular creamy smoothness, which is a bit unusual for the vodka spirit.
3. Zirkova
Zirkova is known as a Ukrainian ultra-premium vodka brand. It has one of the most extended brand histories in the world, lasting for over 600 years and still going strong. It is a classic textbook vodka, using and taking much pride in the traditional making process.
This vodka comes in small batches and is not available for purchase, so you have to wait for the next batch in order to buy it. It is a premium handcrafted grain vodka known for its smoothness and clarity.
It is made with the Tsar’s Cut, which is the best-quality water, ensuring purity and quality of the drink, upholding what many would say impossible standards.
This vodka takes time to make, as all the processes are done slowly and without even the slightest rush. The slow charcoal filtration process is the one deserving for the extreme level of purity of this vodka, and the slow distillation creates its impeccable smoothness.
On the nose, it is natural, fresh, and citrusy, and on the palate, it is flavorful, earthy, refreshing, and smooth.
4. Khor
Khor is a premium gluten-free vodka and is one of the best-selling Ukrainian vodkas internationally. The brand takes much pride in using premium quality ingredients to produce this vodka, and it is known as one of the top-quality vodkas globally.
Falling among the few corn vodkas made using silver filtration technology, it is clean, pure, and a very well-balanced spirit, and a true rarity among its competitors.
In addition to the silver filtration, it also uses charcoal filtration systems, so imagine how impeccable this drink is.
It has two varieties, the Khor De Luxe and the Khor Ice. The De Luxe variety is a vodka made to combine with food. It, therefore, has a very silky texture and a very mild and neutral taste, leaving an exceptionally delicious aftertaste.
It is natural, refreshing, and herbal, but no tasting note is dominant, so it fits perfectly with many types of food, fish being the best one to pair it with.
The Ice variety is known for its sharpness and bite, so if you don’t like that expressively aggressive side of vodka, this may not be the variety for you.
It still retains the herbal freshness, but it is also very sharp, creating an expressively cold sensation that intensifies its bite.
5. Pristine
This is an all-natural premium-quality vodka made and bottled in the Ukraine. They use a secret recipe, so to this day, it remains unknown how exactly this vodka is made, which creates a mystery around the brand and the spirit, making it even more attractive.
The brand says that the secret is using the mineral-rich water from the Carpathian Mountains.
The Pristine vodka is extremely flavorful, exhibiting a variety of tasting notes in a single sip. It starts tasting like fruit, with an overall creamy texture.
It has a full body and a dry, spicy finish leaving a sweet meringue aftertaste. It is excellently balanced, both taste and texture-wise, and you can have it neat, mix it in a cocktail, or pair it with food.
6. Staritsky Levitsky
Initially launched in 2010, even though it is still a relatively new brand, this vodka has managed to climb to the top of the vodka lather. Made with grains from black soil, it is a deep-flavored, full-bodied, and a very explorative spirit.
This brand has three varieties, Distil No:9, Reserve Vodka, and Private Cellar Vodka. The Distil No:9 is a premium vodka made in small batches that depicts the traditional way of vodka-making; it is distilled four times and has a very refined and a perfectly balanced flavor.
This is a classic vodka with a classic herbal note and a traditional vodka sting. It also leaves a delicious herbal and fresh aftertaste, which separates this vodka from the other traditional vodka varieties.
The Reserve Vodka is a very clear and pure vodka with a recognizable vodka glass-like sharpness and a very expressive herbal dimension.
It is an excellently balanced spirit with top-quality ingredients, resulting in an ultra-premium drink. Rested for a month, it softens up, acquiring a certain elegance.
The Private Cellar Vodka is another small-batch expression of the brand. The Private Cellar variety is a warm and spicy flavor with discrete notes of mint, sage, and licorice continuing into the aftertaste as well.
It rests for 60 days before bottling and is even smoother than the Reserve variety. This variety comes in limited amounts and is not very easy to find.
7. Krol
As the second best-selling potato vodka in the world, this ultra-premium vodka has a long-lasting history, the first records of which date back from the 17th century. It is a classic potato vodka made according to an old family recipe that they managed to keep to this day.
The old family recipe, which they keep a secret, provides for filtration and purification. Unlike most vodkas, this one is distilled three times and not the mandatory minimum of four. Therefore it is easy to think that it isn’t as pure as the rest of them, but this is where you would be wrong.
It is known for its expressive potato flavor and a spicy finish, which only augments the potato sensation it creates.
8. Titomirov
Titomirov is known for its all-natural, no-GMO, gluten-free vodka. It uses non-GMO grains and pure alkaline water.
As such, this vodka is extremely popular and very well-sold worldwide. It is famous for being hydrating, as opposed to many vodkas that can cause dehydration.
The vodka is recognized as organic and very delicious. It doesn’t have a particular taste according to which you can describe it, but when you taste it, you know that it is a Titomirov. It is an overall refreshing spirit with herbal notes and a smooth body.
9. Hlibny Dar
Hlibny Dar falls among the most expensive vodkas in Ukraine, made according to the traditional making methods.
Made with natural grains and clean water sourced from an artesian well, this vodka is not only the most expensive but also among the best ones to drink.
The quality of this vodka is not only measured by its taste but also by the quality of the ingredients and the meticulousness of the making process.
Distilled and filtered until the vodka reaches perfection in purity, it is considered one of the purest and clearest vodkas in the world.
This vodka is classified as Lux, which is a feature attributed only to the vodkas with impeccable quality. This brand features several expressions such as classic wheat, sprouted grain, rye lux, Ginger honey, present set rye lux, present set classic, and present set wheaten.
10. Dima’s
Dima’s vodka was founded by Dima Deinega in 2020. It is a superior Ukrainian vodka that is distilled three times in column stills and filtered through sand and charcoal to remove impurities.
It is a three-grain vodka that is made with the highest quality grains, such as barley, wheat, and rye, which are cultivated in Ukraine. The clear vodka has a rounded flavor profile and velvety smoothness.
Ukraine is famous for its black soil, which provides the finest conditions for these grains to grow, giving the drink a unique characteristic.
The brand is famous for serving their vodka with a pickle, which is the traditional way of serving vodkas in Ukraine. The saltiness of the pickle complements the sweet smoothness of the vodka.
Dima’s Vodka has a nutty flavor with rye aromas and hints of aniseed, vanilla, and spice. This gives a creamy finish with a spicy aftertaste.
11. Status
Status is a premium Vodka that is made at the 117-year-old Zlatogor distillery in Ukraine.
The brand follows a superior distillation process where the grain spirit is distilled four times and blended with water from the artesian well to produce a smooth-tasting vodka.
The blended spirit undergoes a 7-step filtration process to remove impurities and alcohol aromas for purity and taste.
12. Helsinki
Featuring varieties such as Ice Palace and Winter Capital Silver, and Winter Capital Aquamarine, this is a very popular Ukrainian vodka brand.
It is known as young people’s vodka, as it is bold, edgy, and experimental, carrying the young spirit in each drop.
It is made of soft wheat and pure water filtered to perfection achieving the ultimate purity, freshness, and clarity. It is unique in terms of flavor, tasting expressively like herbs, especially mint, combining slight citrus notes as well as a discrete spiciness toward the finish.
The finish is very smooth, flavorful, minty, and slightly peppery, with a slight bite and sting.
13. Medoff
Known as one of the smoothest Ukrainian vodkas, very flavorful and explorative, this vodka is among the favorites of many vodka enthusiasts.
It is a complex spirit, which is rare to find in the vodka world, not because vodkas are single-lined drinks, but because they are strong and sharp, leaving little space for the flavor to shine.
The complexity and versatility of this vodka are what brought it to this list. It is a very pure drink, filtrated seven times, achieving perfection and the glass-like clarity of the spirit. The brand has launched several varieties, i.e., Classic, Royal, Original, and Winter.
The Medoff vodkas are known as the honey vodkas, as all of them are filtered through honey which gives them their unique sweetness.
14. Pervak
This is a Ukrainian-made craft vodka, the assortment of which covers homemade wheat vodka, Classic Vodka, Rye homemade vodka, pepper with honey vodka, Borodino bread vodka, and a special tincture.
These vodkas are exceptionally aromatic and very flavorful, making this brand one of the few that focus on the vodka flavor rather than the sharpness.
Slightly spicy, fruity, smooth, very aromatic, and expressively herbal, all spirit expressions of this vodka brand have a certain honey-like sweetness characteristic for the vodkas from this brand.
15. Russian Shot
Distilled six times and coming from the Slavonic region in the Ukraine, this 20-year-old vodka brand has managed to become one of the best Ukrainian vodkas.
With a wide assortment, including Russian Shot Original Vodka, Russian Shot Black Pearl Vodka, Russian Shot Gentle Vodka, and Russian Shot Limited Edition Black Pearl Vodka, this vodka brand has ensured its popularity by offering something for everyone.
You can find this vodka in different flavors, i.e., such as apples, lemon, and orange, each being strong and sharp. However, it is a classic vodka, the variations of which all have the classic and traditional vodka features.
16. Rada
Rada vodka is known for its refinement and smoothness. It is a premium grain vodka made by selecting and distilling the best-quality natural grains grown by the manufacturer. It is a highly smooth spirit, full-bodied and sharp-flavored.
It is additionally matured after filtration, resulting in a velvety texture, very drinkable and most enjoyable. It is excellently balanced, appealing to those who like sharper flavors as well as those who like the milder and gentler vodka sensations.
What Vodka Is Made In Ukraine?
Ukraine is a large vodka producer both for the local and international markets. It is also a large vodka exporter, so it is the home of many vodka brands. Rada, Medoff, Nemiroff, Zirkova, Khor, Pristine, Krol, Dima’s are just a few of the many Ukrainian vodka brands.
Are There Any Ukrainian Vodka?
Yes, there are many Ukrainian vodka brands, such as Titomirov, Helsinki, Russian Shot, Pervak, Rada, etc.
Is Ukrainian Vodka Any Good?
Ukrainian vodka is not only good, but it is excellent. Ukrainian vodka is extremely pure and clean, and it truly depicts the heart of Ukraine and the essence of the culture.
East Europe is known for making excellent vodkas and is, therefore, the home of the best vodka brands.
Ukrainian vodka is recognizable for its purity, smoothness, and variety of flavors. It is gentle and more drinkable than many other vodkas.
What Is The Most Popular Alcohol In Ukraine?
Vodka is the most popular drink in Ukraine. They call it gorilka (horilka/Горілка), which means “the thing that burns you” and is made with at least 40% of alcohol.
Ukrainian Vodka Brands Sold In the USA
Khor Platinum Vodka, Pristine Vodka, Nemiroff Vodka, First Guild Vodka, and Zirkova Vodka are some of the Ukrainian vodka brands sold in the USA.
Most Expensive Ukrainian Vodka
The Hlibny Dar brand is the most expensive vodka brand in Ukraine, costing roughly $50 per 750 ml. bottle.
