Review: Stolichnaya Stoli Gold Edition Vodka
Review: Stolichnaya Stoli Gold Edition Vodka
Stolichnaya Gold — “Stoli Gold” — is a small step up from standard Stolichnaya (and not nearly as pricey as Stoli Elit), and recently the brand redesigned its packaging — and its production process. This isn’t the first time Stoli has updated Stoli Gold… in fact, it used to be called something entirely different.
First conceived as Stoli Cristal in 1989 to add a new dimension to the category, the expression name was changed a decade later as a nod to its final filtration stage through coils of gold thread. Stoli Gold’s redesign includes the bottle, label and production process and is aimed at elevating the consumer experience at shelf in the off-trade and at high-end clubs and lounges in the on-trade. The product is now available in 750 mL and 1 litre sizes in top USA and global markets, along with select duty-free retailers.
Stoli Gold harnesses some of the world’s rarest elements to produce a sublimely rich vodka. While winter wheat is predominantly a dryland crop, the Gubernator Dona winter wheat grown on this single estate is carefully irrigated from an ecologically pure aquifer lying at a depth of 185 meters to ensure optimum soil moisture conditions and high-quality yields. Next, the Alpha Grade spirit is blended with water filtered through shungite, one of the rarest and most remarkable minerals on earth, found only in a remote part of northwest Russia. This blend is then filtered in the traditional Stoli way before the final filtration through coils of gold thread to subtly amplify the depth, enhance the softness and harmonize the emerging liquid.
So there you have it: Winter wheat, distilled and filtered through gold coils. And shungite, people! Let’s give this premium vodka a try.
The nose is quite clean, modest in its medicinality, but lightly fruity, with hints of apricot and peach, giving the vodka an unusual liveliness that is seldom seen in an Old World spirit. The palate is sweeter than rack Stoli — though, to its credit, Stoli imprints NO SUGAR in all caps on the reverse of the bottle — with more of that apricot showing, alongside some hints of cinnamon sugar and a squeeze of grapefruit. The finish is clean but lasting, showing off a slight mint character. All told, the elements come together quite beautifully, and though it’s always hard to get too excited about vodka, Stoli Gold is a decidedly solid spirit that is, fortunately, affordable enough to be a mainstay on your back bar — and will look good, too.
80 proof.
A / $29 / stoli.com [BUY IT NOW FROM THE BOTTLE CLUB]
Stolichnaya Stoli Gold Edition Vodka
$29
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