Koskenkorva Vodka

Brands get rebranded all the time, but this Finnish vodka, around since 1953, certainly deserves its new marketing push if you’d like something smooth yet intriguing to sip on its own or to craft a cocktail with.

They brag of local spring water, good barley, and better farmers, and the tickle of dairy on the otherwise pristine nose suggests there are some true farm roots in this bottle with the hearty wood cap. The taste is classic clean vodka — fresh cracked pepper and the suggestion of some hazelnut — with a long, lingering warm finish (no pun intended) that I’m sure helps on chilly Nordic nights.

As it retails for about $25 (750 ml) and is supposed to be distilled over 250 times — take that, mere pikers at four or five runs through the still — you really are only paying 10 cents per distillation. Must be that Scandinavian socialism that covers the delicious difference.

See koskenkorva.com.