While most vodka distillers are engaged in an escalating contest to produce ever more outlandish flavors (the inspiration behind Van Gogh Vodka's latest product? "PB&J"), Karlsson's has made it their business to move ever closer to the spirit's humble origin: the potato.
Its latest
release, Batch 2008, was made with a single variety of rare Gammel
Svensk Röd potatoes (originally brought to Sweden from Holland in the
1700s) from one 2008 crop. Only 1,980 bottles were produced. It is said
that farmers of Cape Bjäre in southern Sweden, where Karlsson's potatoes
are grown, hold their tubers in the same regard that French vintners
hold their grapes, detecting subtle differences in flavor profiles from
one variety to the next, one year to the next, and one farm to the
next. But you don't need to know all the details to appreciate this
piquant heirloom vodka: Just stick it in the freezer and pour yourself
a shockingly cold shot to pair with appetizers on a warm alfresco
evening. And for God's sake, don't dilute it with Coke or cranberry
juice—you'll give those dear, fastidious Swedish farmers
conniptions.
$80; available at Astor Wines & Spirits in New York and at
klwines.com.
—Christopher Ross, assistant editor at Details
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