Chopin Single Vodka Wants To Change How You Look At Clear Spirits

Vodka is traditionally defined as a 'neutral spirit', devoid of flavor, color, or aroma. Despite its enduring popularity as the most consumed liquor in the United States, many producers take exception to its less-than-flattering description. And at least one brand is on a mission to actively reconfigure how you see the entire category.

Founded by Tad Dorda in 1992, Chopin is a Polish-based producer—among the first in the world to sell ultra-luxury vodka. When other high-end makers were racing to see who could boast the highest number of distillations and filtrations on the label, Dorda was tracking in the opposite direction. He sought to embrace a core ingredient—whether it be potato, rye, wheat, barley—and express its flavor potential and terroir in much the same way a master winemaker does with grapes.

Enter the Single series. These vintage bottlings use just one regionally-specific ingredient, distilled only once. Tasted side-by-side, variances in flavor, aroma, and even mouthfeel aren't just pronounced, they are profound.

"I wasn't a believer of terroir until I spoke with Tad about it," admits Joel Caruso, Los Angeles-based Market Manager for Chopin Vodka. "He believes distillation, when done properly and with care can preserve the essence of foodstuffs, indefinitely."

According to Caruso, the vintages offer a peek at how rainfall and weather patterns around the distillery affect flavor. "2011 was really cool and the potatoes made a really complex and earthy product," he says of that year's bottling. "2015 was really hot and it shows. The finished product even tastes hotter."

For those expecting the sip of a standard vodka, it's a revelatory drinking experience. And point in fact, it's not technically a vodka that you're sipping on. Since it's only distilled once, Single can't legally be labeled a vodka. In the United States, the category requires a minimum of three distillations to qualify.

To make things official, Chopin also releases its annual Family Reserve. The vintage product features 'young' potatoes harvested early in the growing season, distilled four times to qualify as bonafide vodka. "It drinks almost as if mezcal and pisco had a baby," notes Caruso.

Indulgence comes at a price, of course. Half-size bottles (375 ml) of the Single are under tight allocation in the US and can retail for as much as $140 per unit. The elegantly packaged Family Reserve is more modestly positioned at $150 for a full 750ml. It will certainly seem steep to some, but that just depends on how much you value your vodka. It is by no means the most expensive entry into the category. That title would belong to Stolichnaya's Pristine Water Series—proofed down with water from the foothills of the Andes—retailing at a cool $3,000 bottle.

So maybe, just maybe, you're actually getting a bargain with Chopin. But you're definitely getting a drink that will force even the most ardent of clear spirit skeptics to reevaluate their prejudices. "I’ve had a lot of people swear it was unlike any other," claims Caruso. "And I agree. It’s definitely still vodka, though. It’s just a huge surprise when you taste, feel and smell what a so-called 'neutral spirit' can bring to the glass."