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Following an invite from Mrs Foodie, I accompanied her to her second home, the lovely city of Edinburgh. I was only too happy to accept, as it involved tasting some of my favourite beverage, Vodka.
On arrival at The Voyage of Buck pub, we gratefully accepted the vodka martinis on offer. Special mention to the Belvedere Martini glasses which we both thought were very stylish - traditional martini glasses in the now famous frosted style, with the Belvedere tree/branches motif.
After a short period, we were shown to our seats for the main event, the all-important vodka tasting.
Mark Tracey, the UK Ambassador for Belvedere Vodka, talked us through a brief history of Polish vodkas and Belvedere Vodka in particular. The distillery used by the company has been in continuous use since 1910. Like all Polish vodkas, there are strict regulations and laws in place to ensure the purity and quality of the product. For example, only Polish ingredients, such as rye, water etc are used. This is regulated and more tired by the Polish government.
Following this, the tasting took place. Each attendee had 4 different vodkas for tasting. We started if with Grey Goose, which is a vodka produced by wheat. This was mainly to show the differences between wheat and rye vodkas. This was compared to the second taster, which was Belvedere's own standard vodka.
Finally, it was time to taste the new products from the Single Estate Rye Series, Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek, named after the village of the estate.
The two vodkas in question, show how the environment can have an effect on the final product. For example, land/soil, Despite using the exact same ingredients in their production, they are two very different vodkas. Both drinks are so easy to drink neat and go down ever so well. To accompany the new range, Belvedere has introduced a new style of bottle. Starting as square from the bottom, the bottle rounds off as it reaches the neck.
We were then treated to some lovely food, and many more cocktails as the evening continued.
All in all, the event was most enjoyable. Mrs Foodie and I said our goodbyes and began our journey back to Glasgow on a full stomach, and ever so slightly merry. I'm sure vodka aficionados will really enjoy the new range. It will be interesting to hear the pronunciation of them in the many bars across the country, especially as the night goes on!
