Vusa African Vodka, 70cl

Product Information

The past decade has seen plenty of vodkas hiding behind highly-massaged marketing stories, but amongst them are some true gems - with plenty of heritage. This particular expression from the distillery, famed for its award-winning gin, involves steeping Colombian coffee beans in vodka-filled coffee pot stills for 24 hours before the liquid is then redistilled. Following fruit and cereal notes on the nose, a bright palate moves from rounded fruitiness to smooth richness, finishing with a wee tickle of pepper.

Vusa African Vodka 70cl – Threshers

It’s a quality and characterful tipple with a real sense of place, made with proper craft by distiller Joyce Nethery and her family. The chaps at Sipsmith set up their small operation in urban West London in 2009 to distill in traditional copper pot stills: the first people to do so in nearly two centuries in London. Its clean, herbaceous nose gave an impression of juniper, with botanical lemon oil following on the palate.

Testers found the flavour to have a hint of lemon and pepper, but it was the long, creamy finish that was most memorable.

Spearhead, Black-Owned African Spirits Group, Makes Entry

Vusa is donating a portion of its profits from this vodka to the Khulisani Foundation, which supports urban farming in South Africa. The industry is welcome to change and we want others to join us on that journey and create different products and share different stories. Vusa is distilled in small batches using a copper pot still, which gives the spirit a silky smooth finish, letting its notes of soft grassiness, soothing eucalyptus and a subtle vanilla sweetness shine. Chris Frederick is a former owner, proprietor and director of an award winning pub group, with a background in accountancy and finance.For too long the spirits industry has neglected the quality, craft and produce that exists in our continent. But if you’re a seafood-obsessed drinker that loves vodka for its ability to pair impeccably with decadent caviar – plus crab, smoked salmon and oysters – then you might be able to get your head around investing in this release from French caviar house Petrossian. While the huge market for vodka and gin might seem saturated, there was an opportunity for Spearhead to develop unique products given the dearth of brands that come from black-owned businesses and particularly from Africa.

Vusa Vodka : The Whisky Exchange Vusa Vodka : The Whisky Exchange

Only those that were both delicious and showed good value for money were included on our list of the best vodkas below. Chris Frederick and Damola Timeyin are on a mission to showcase African booze and establish some authentic diversity in the drinks sector. There’s a full 3kg of British potatoes distilled for every bottle, which explains this vodka’s fuller-bodied creamy character.Despite being made from grapes, Ciroc is known for its subtle citrus finish, at once crisp and clean. In this case, that means a vodka which is clean but fruity, with crunchy green apple notes and wafts of tropical fruit – lychee and guava. Cosmopolitan — fruity and sweet, Sex and the City gave the Cosmopolitan the attention it deserved, and it’s still one of our favourite cocktails to serve when entertaining.