Luksusowa

Luksusowa (Wódka Luksusowa) is a Polish brand of vodka distilled from potatoes by Pernod Ricard (formerly V&S Luksusowa) in Zielona Góra. Wódka Luksusowa (Polish for Luxury Vodka) is one of the oldest Polish vodkas in continuous production, being first sold in 1928. When Polish territory expanded westwards after World War II, the production of Luksusowa was moved to its current site in Zielona Góra. According to the producer, Luksusowa has approximately 10% share in Poland's vodka market.

Luksusowa is among my favorite vodkas. It is smooth, even among potato vodkas, but does not sacrifice its “bite”. It is my home martini vodka of choice.

Spiritsreview.com states as follows:

“Notes: Luksusowa (Polish for Luxury) Vodka is produced in Poland by Polmos from strobrowa potatoes . Distilled in a triple distilled then filtered through charcoal (the best traditional vodka filtration).

“This is one of the few vodkas made with potatoes - which contrary to popular prejudice (particularly vociferous among Russians for some reason) - is a premium ingredient for vodka. With about 1/3 less yield per kilo and a lot more prep work to ferment and distill, it makes for a difficult and expensive undertaking. Also people who suffer from Celiac's Disease (a genetic intolerance to gluten found in grains) will find this a welcome addition to the kinds of distilled spirits they can drink.

“Appearance: Crystal clear, no sediment whatsoever. On swirling, it leaves a thin clear coat on the inside of the glass forming a crenellated edge with some legs and lots of small droplets - this seems to be a familiar pattern with potato vodka. A crystal clear viscous pool in the glass.
First Impression: A slightly sweet smell to it, slight alkaline (cocoa?) smell (could be because it is a member of a alkali plant family). Rounder, deeper smell than a grain vodka. No smell of esters or oils; clean.

"Taste: Sweet and slightly oily on the tongue, medium body. Crisp, mild bite to it on the edges of your tongue. A slight warming of alcohol as it goes down the throat, with lingering warmth and tingle to the lips. Chilling accentuates the sweetness and body.

. . .

"Final Thoughts: An good value for the money - One of the few potato vodkas out there and one that does no charge an arm and a leg . Many Poles consider this an "Old style vodka" - that's fine with me. It's not fancy, but a good solid vodka with a nice mouthfeel and taste."

I find Luksusowa an outstanding vodka, a great contributor to any good martini, and, ironically, a bargain. Its impossible to make a bad martini with Luksusowa.

Cheers.