Mad props to Ketel One. This brand is pretty much singlehandedly responsible for introducing ultrapremium vodka into the market, and it’s still going strong today. Made in The Netherlands from wheat, the 80-proof spirit is very traditional on the whole, and not in a bad way.

The taste is clean, lightly citrusy and tinged with lemon, with a touch of sweetness and a menthol aftertaste. (It’s appropriate that Ketel One released a citrus-flavored vodka some years ago; it really doesn’t need a lot of extra flavor to make it clearly lemony.)

It works very well in mixers and is doable straight, but an undercurrent of charcoal makes it a little rough for extended drinking. Not a bad vodka, and at a decent price for something that’s, on the whole, quite refined.

B+ / $22 / ketelone.com