📝 usncan Note: The World’s Best Vodka According To The IWSC
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Vodka in shot glasses with a slice of lemon
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The International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) crowned the world’s best vodkas for 2025—two distinctive expressions that elevate purity and flavor, proving vodka’s elegance and versatility. Below is a brief background and personal tasting notes on the two winners.
Often underestimated for its neutrality, vodka is the world’s most consumed spirit and one of its most versatile. At its best, vodka can express remarkable finesse, clarity, and subtlety. In its flavored forms, it can mirror the artistry of perfumery or the precision of fine cuisine.
Each year, the IWSC shines a spotlight on the most exceptional vodkas from around the globe. Founded in London in 1969, the IWSC is one of the world’s most prestigious judging platforms, known for its blind tasting panels, global reach, and commitment to quality and innovation.
In 2025, the IWSC’s Spirit Trophies for Vodka and Flavored Vodka went to two standouts: Sexy Fish Vodka from England and Gustav Dill Vodka from Finland. Both demonstrate how vodka—whether classically styled or botanically infused—can be complex, memorable, and world-class.
Hawkridge Distillers, Sexy Fish Vodka, 40% ABV, 500 ml. $20
In 2025, the IWSC awarded Hawkridge Distillers, Sexy Fish Vodka, 98 points and its highest honors in the vodka category, the Vodka Spirit Trophy.
The vodka was created by the partnership of Hawkridge Distillers in Berkshire, England, and the luxury restaurant brand Sexy Fish. The latter has restaurants in London, Miami, and Manchester.
Hawkridge uses small-batch distillation in copper stills for purity and character, employing a multi-stage distillation process to create a smooth, velvety texture.
The vodka undergoes triple filtration for clarity and smoothness, then is lightly finished with a touch of natural sweetness, giving it a smooth, rounded palate. The water used in dilution is drawn from local chalk aquifers, lending natural minerality and a clean, crisp character.
The vodka presents an elegant and refined profile, featuring floral and fruity aromas, especially stone fruit, a light cotton candied sweetness, and a subtle peppery note.
It’s smooth, creamy, and slightly sweet on the palate, featuring a pronounced citrus flavor and subtle notes of vanilla, almond, and assorted spices. The result is a light, but layered, nuanced complexity.
The finish is long and slightly floral, with a candied sweetness and lingering notes of citrus and vanilla.
The IWSC Judging Panel described the vodka as featuring aromas of “a delicate blend of floral and fruity notes, beautifully enhanced by a touch of peppery spice and sweet icing sugar. The profoundly deep palate resonates with creamy hints of smooth vanilla and lusciously crisp citrus.”
Vodka with an assortment of traditional Russian snacks
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Lignell & Piispanen, Gustav Dill Vodka, 40% ABV 750 ml. $21
The IWSC awarded 98 points and the 2025 Vodka & Tonic Trophy to Lignell & Piispanen, Gustav Dill Vodka.
The vodka is produced by Lignell & Piispanen, a Finnish distillery founded in 1852 with a focus on local botanicals and pure Arctic water. This expression is made using aroma distillation. Fresh Finnish dill is gently distilled to preserve delicate volatile compounds, capturing the authentic fragrance of the herb.
The base spirit is a neutral grain vodka distilled to high purity, then blended with the dill distillate and pure Finnish water. It’s designed specifically to pair with tonic, reflecting Nordic culinary traditions where dill is a key flavor in seafood and seasonal dishes.
The vodka is fresh and aromatic on the nose, presenting a distinct aroma of fresh dill along with subtle cucumber, grassy herbal notes, and a slight citrus element.
It’s smooth and crisp on the palate, showcasing its vivid dill character unfolding into gentle spice and a light vegetal sweetness. It’s nicely balanced and rounded, with well-integrated alcohol and no bitterness.
The finish is long and refreshing, with lingering herbal notes of sweet dill and freshly cut grass that will pair perfectly in a vodka and tonic.
This year’s IWSC Vodka Trophy winners highlight vodka’s remarkable spectrum—from crystalline elegance to botanical boldness. Sexy Fish Vodka is refined and multilayered, with a silky texture, subtle spice, and lingering citrus that redefine what a “clean” vodka can offer. It’s a modern expression rooted in luxury and precision.
Meanwhile, Gustav Dill Vodka offers a sensory tribute to Nordic flavors, where crisp Arctic water and hand-distilled Finnish dill combine in a flawless vodka-and-tonic companion. Its herbaceous, aromatic intensity sets a new standard for flavored, botanically inspired vodka.
Together, these two winners prove that vodka—far from being just neutral—can speak in whispers or sing in bold tones, all while maintaining grace, balance, and world-class quality.
