Despite their transparency, top-shelf vodkas are not created equally. Where they’re distilled usually speaks volumes about style and technique. How the vodka is distilled and from what—e.g. potatoes, rye, corn or wheat—is significant.

Surprisingly enough, what likely has the greatest affect on the finished vodka is its water source. Water provides the spirit with its genetic marker and contributes to aroma, taste and mouth-feel.

One of the factors propelling the vodka category is the steady flow of new brands crossing our borders, most professing legacy and a singular twist. This procession of new arrivals—both imported and American—as helped fuel consumer interest. To help tell one classy contender from another, we’ve assembled a scouting report on the latest field of entries.

• Blue Ice Vodka — Produced at the Silver Creek Distillery in Rigby, Idaho, Blue Ice Vodka is made from Russet Burbank potatoes and Rocky Mountain spring water.
  
  
• Círoc Snap Frost Vodka — The first and only vodka made entirely from grapes. The “snap-frost” Mauzac grapes are picked late in the season, allowing them to attain a higher sugar content. Cîroc is distilled five times in traditional copper pot stills.
  
  
• Domaine Charbay Dry/Clear Vodka — Made at the family-owned distillery in Ukiah, California, Dry/Clear Vodka is micro-distilled from American Midwest grain and spring water.
  
  
• Hangar One Vodka — Long known for their eaux-de-vies and alembic brandies, St. George Spirits in Alameda, California is becoming better known for Hangar 1 Straight Vodka, a small batch, pot distilled grain vodka.
  
  
• Heavy Water— A Swedish vodka distilled from hearty winter wheat and spring water drawn from a subterranean lake.
  
  
• Ikon Premium Vodka — Produced 1500 kilometers from Moscow, Ikon Premium Vodka is a continuous-distilled vodka made from grain and artesian water, which is then filtered four times through Russian birch charcoal.
  
  
• Jewel of Russia Vodka — The spirit is crafted in a traditional Russian style, from a blend of rye, hardy winter wheat and artesian spring water. The vodka is distilled in continuous stills and then repeatedly filtered through high absorption screens.
  
  
• Level by Absolut — Produced in Sweden, Level is a 100% wheat vodka made both by continuous distillation and small-batch distillation. Blending the two types of vodka creates a light, clean vodka with texture and a broad taste profile.
  
  
• Liquid Ice Vodka — Also crafted at the Silver Creek Distillery, Liquid Ice is a 100% organic vodka made from a blend of five grains—wheat, oat, barley, corn and rye.
  
  
• Shakers Vodka — The first ultra-premium American vodka, Shakers is distilled entirely from the heart of Minnesota wheat. The wheat is fermented in spring water, distilled in a six-column still and meticulously filtered.
  
  
• Stolichnaya Elit Vodka — The first ultra-luxury vodka available in the United States, small batch Elit is double-distilled from purified glacier water and select winter wheat. The vodka is “freeze filtered,” a technique first employed in the days of the czars.
  
  
• Xellent Vodka — A small batch artisan spirit made in Switzerland from high-grade rye and glacier water. The handmade, limited production vodka is crafted to exacting standards, which is evident in every facet of its personality.
  
  
• Zyr Vodka — Made near Moscow, ultra-premium Zyr is distilled five times from premium rye, winter wheat and spring water. The vodka is rigorously filtered for purity through a proprietary system of filters, one of which is birch tree charcoal.
  

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