^ for Snow Queen. Got a bottle two years ago in the duty free in Manchester - it was a little expensive, but well worth it. Apparently uses "Kazakh birch charcoal" in the (5x) distillation process, and has gotten a huge amount of awards over the past couple of years as well. It doesn't seem to have become all that mainstream yet though.

Different vodkas for different seasons:

• Grey Goose (winter)
• Effen (spring)
• Absolut Mandarin (summer)
• Absolut Raspberry (fall)

I was given a bottle of Russian Standard by a client last week and I was excited to try it judging by their huge marketing campaign they've undertaken. Let's just say I was seriously underwhelmed :(

Like single malts its OK to like more than 1
 

Rain
Level
Ciroc
Pravda

And something I had in Kiev with my Russian friends, maybe I got the name but just can not remember it (actually do not remember much from that week)

I have a slight preference for Dripping Springs over Titos, personally. But either way, I'm being green and responsible by buying local for boozing, right?

i don't have
 

i don't have the brand handy but experienced some fantastic cranberry vodka at a russian block party a few years ago on thanksgiving in long island.

Grey Goose!

Monarch - after the 1st 2 drinks it goes down smooth!!:D

Expensive vodka is for suckers. :)

Vodka Anyone??
 

while friends always said vodka was great for getting drunk, i would alway prefer a beer or maybe whiskey & coke. Recently though, I was intoduced to shots of cold straight vodka and I have to say I'm loving it!!

Bottle of choice at the moment is Kettle One, smooth and a slight creamy feeling on the throat. Grey goose pretty good too.

Wondering if anyone thinks these top shelf bottles justify the 200% mark-up on smironoff etc? I'm torn.

I love Kettle One, defiantly my favorite. I will usually pay more for top shelf liquor, especially vodka and gin. Is it worth the markup? I believe so.

There are two tests: (1) Do you like drinking the top shelf stuff a lot more than the crap? If so, it is the same as a food-type analysis. (2)"Tomorrow." See how you feel the next day, all other things being equal, except the shelves from which you drink.

Thought it was Ketel One, not Kettle One :)

My favourite is Surkoff, but its hard to find outside Russia.

My favorite is Belvedere. I don't care much for Ketel One, though. I think that Smirnoff is a better vodka than Ketel and it actually scored higher in the New York Times blind taste test a few of years ago. Some other good vodkas in my opinion are Grey Goose, Stoli and 360.

My current fave is Ultimat. It's a blend of potato and grain. Good just out of the freezer and sipped. Thanks to the guys at Red Square in Las Vegas who turned me onto this vodka a few years ago.