The Foreigner's Guide to Slovakia

Well, this is certainly interesting… an award-winning “luxury” vodka made in Slovakia but as of its release this past September 2008, is sold only in the U.S. in limited distribution. It’s not even sold in Slovakia! It’s called Double Cross Vodka and is the only product of a company called Old Nassau Imports, distributed exclusively through Southern Wine & Spirits of New York and Allied Beverage Group in New Jersey.

What’s so special about it? Here’s a list of its highlights:

• Made in the small 13th century town of Stará Ľubovňa
• Distilled from 100 percent organic, estate-grown winter wheat and spring water from the High Tatra Mountains
• Filtered a total of 7 times through diamond dust to provide “unprecedented filtration capability because of the unique shape and sub-micron size of the diamond dust particles”, according to the press release on the Double-Cross website.
  
  

I don’t know anything about the company itself but it seems that some American entrepreneurs went to “Eastern Europe” looking to produce a top-quality vodka. They met Master Distiller Dr. Jan Krak after looking for producers of the longest tradition of vodka making.

And then there is the gorgeous bottle. This isn’t something that you will want to throw away once it’s empty. The bottle was designed and produced by a glass maker in France and again according to the website, “was purposefully engineered to reflect the elegance of its contents and the nobility of its Slovakian heritage.” Wow, that sounds opulent, doesn’t it?

It’s 12 inches tall, on the front has the double-cross logo – the emblem taken from the Slovak flag – embedded with metal. On the back is a series of pieces of poetry from famous Slovak poets such as Jan Hollý, Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, and Andrej Sládkovič, written in an old-style script.

And apparently, it tastes very good. Both the bottle and the vodka itself took top honors at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The vodka retails for $49.95 for 750 ml. I’m not a fan of vodka. Mixed in a cocktail or straight up, I don’t care for the taste. I’d make an exception to try this brand, however. Just for the experience of having a “luxury” vodka, not to be confused with something like Ciroc which is merely “ultra premium”.

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