Vodka Classified Book Review

Travel Distilled reviews the book Vodka Classified, which has a comprehensive section on the history of vodka, and some tasty-sounding vodka cocktail recipes too.

Do we need another book about vodka? Well, if it’s like Vodka Classified, and that bit different, then we do. Vodka Classified is a chunky hardback from a mainstream publisher, Pavilion Books, and before you even get to the contents, it’s well-produced, nicely-designed, with lots of good color photos, and printed on very good-quality paper. (My dad was a printer so I tend to notice these things!)

Vodka Classified Contents

So what do I like about this book? For a start, the History of Vodka is really comprehensive, running to 13 pages. But then the author is a journalist and good at delving into things and getting the facts.

After that comes three pages on Where Vodka is Made. Today, of course, it’s all over the world but the author deals with the traditional countries where vodka first originated. This was the grain-growing belt that ran from Scandinavia down through central and eastern Europe into the Caucasus.

How Vodka is Made

There are six pages detailing How Vodka is Made, starting with the main ingredient, which is usually grain or potatoes but can also be other things (even black-eyed peas!) The author talks about the importance of water, then the distillation process, filtration, and finally adding flavor if you want to make a flavored or infused vodka.

Types of Vodka

This section covers things like what makes for a premium vodka, what are the traditional flavors, and what are some of the modern flavors you can find. The book was first published in 2009, and there have been quite a few new flavors added in the meantime!

Enjoying Vodka

Finally in this introductory section are several pages on what it’s all about: Enjoying Vodka. This covers topics like serving vodka, tasting vodka, and pairing vodka with food. Even though the book is several years old, it’s important to point out that very little of this first section has dated, mainly just the references to modern flavored vodkas. Otherwise, it’s as fresh now as when it was published.

Vodka Brands A-Z

If anything, this is the section that will have dated the most, and it makes up about 70% of the book. It comprises the author’s choice of over 80 of the world’s best vodkas, most of them getting a two-page spread (big names like Absolut get a little more). Each spread typically includes a colour photo, a box containing basic information (ABV, country of origin, website etc), and then the author’s tasting notes. Most spreads include an entire page telling you all about the company and the vodka.

The A-Z actually begins before A for Absolut, with 42 Below Vodka from New Zealand. Well, they’re still around, though now owned by Bacardi. Absolut is of course very much around, but the third entry, the interesting-sounding Akvinta Vodka from Croatia, seems to have bit the dust. You can still buy the vodka online, so stocks are still available. The same goes for the next entry, Balkan Vodka, a 44% vodka from Bulgaria.

I went through some more entries, all of them enjoyable to read, and while others had gone out of business many of them are still in business so the book is definitely still worth buying, though maybe look for a cheaper second-hand copy on Amazon or elsewhere online. The author knows his vodka and the book introduced me to some new names I’m definitely going to try to get my hands on.

The Author

Stuart Walton is a man after my own heart – he’s a freelance journalist who likes vodka. Snap! (I wouldn’t give his book a good review just for that, though.) He’s written several books about wine and spirits, including The Complete Guide to Spirits and Liqueurs, Vodka Cocktails, and The Ultimate Book of Cocktails.

Vodka Cocktails

Vodka Classified also has a section at the back which includes several pages of vodka cocktail recipes, both classic cocktails and some very tasty-sounding ones making use of flavored vodkas. All in all it rounds out well what is an impressive book about vodka.