We don’t know if this is true or not, but apparently, earlier this year, Madonna threw a fit when she couldn’t get her favourite Belvedere Vodka at a party sponsored by Grey Goose (and this information hasn’t been fed to us by the Belvedere people). She agreed to have a virgin mojito and refused offers of any other vodka. This is the kind of loyalty people have for Belvedere.
Belvedere vodka, packaged in an ethereal and beautiful bottle, is manufactured at the historic Polmos distillery in Zyrardow – Poland’s vodka heartland – just west of Warsaw. Indeed, the bottle is adorned by an image of the Polish rulers’ colonnaded Belvedere Palace, with a delicate trace of winter branches above it. The first look at the frosted bottle of this vodka is enough to impress you. But it is what is inside that truly clinches your heart.
The creation
Dankowskie gold rye, an exceptional grain, is prized for its soft texture and sweet flavour. Belvedere uses this select Polish grain whose natural sweetness creates the warm, spicy notes found in the vodka. A single bottle contains over 20kg of rye. Distilled four times to bring out all the subtle sweetness and smooth, clean finish of the rye, the vodka is then blended with clear spring water drawn from artesian wells. Polmos Zyrardow is one of the very few distilleries in Poland to have its own water source.
Belvedere has to cross 33 quality control checkpoints across the entire distillation process, which have won Polmos Zyrardów a highly respected Quality Control Certificate from the Polish Government. All the corks are sourced from Portugal and are soaked in Belvedere vodka to ensure they do not influence the colour, taste or smell of the finished product. The iconic luxury bottles are hand-finished and inspected for any imperfections. The process of creation is completes with the application of the blue strip stamp. Belvedere definitely provides an extremely tough competition in the luxury vodka market.
The taste
Belvedere has a subtle complexity and sweetness that gives it a distinct personality. On the nose, a faint hint of vanilla blends with soft cream. The palate is full and round with a light, velvety texture and notes of white pepper and spice, almonds and vanilla ice cream. The finish culminates in a warm, clean smoothness, a flavour of rye bread and toasted nuts.
Two of its kind
Elie-Arnaud Denoix, heir to a 200-year-old family tradition of flavour artistry, created the macerated vodkas for Belvedere. Since 1839, the Denoix family has been creating liqueurs and aperitifs using fresh herbs, spices and fruit infusions made from a unique proprietary process of maceration to capture the purest natural flavours.
After two years of gathering fruits from around the world, countless detailed tastings and repeated tests of their reaction to distillation and maceration, M Denoix created two blends for Belvedere that capture the intense flavours of oranges and lemons: Cytrus and Pomarancza.
While Cytrus is derived from an infusion of lemon and lime peels, Pomarancza is created from a mix of orange, mandarin, lime peels and orange blossom. It is the unique process of maceration that gives these two Belvedere vodkas their luxurious quality and the deep and complex flavour notes that unfold as they are savoured.
Belvedere is truly a delight for the senses. Its process of creation earns it the respect it deserves, because that’s what guarantees the pure taste of this luxury vodka.
