what Chekhov said

This is a review of Legend Of Kremlin vodka from Russia. I sampled it in Germany in 2014. It’s clear, 40% alcohol, and I found it a bit overpriced.

This one is called Legend Of Kremlin vodka (Легенда Кремля). What a name… I wonder if there will ever be a “Legend of White House” bourbon, or a “Legend of Reichstag” schnaps.

Legend of Website

Anyway I went to legendofkremlin.com and took a look around. It looked pretty stylish at first:

CREATE YOUR OWN LEGEND it said.

According to its news section Legend Of Kremlin vodka was aiming at rich people who drove Lamborghinis:

But then it appeared as if the website hadn’t been updated in almost a decade.

There was, however, a section where they talked at length about how the brand traced its own history back to the legendary monk Isidore who was supposed to have invented vodka in 15th-century Moscow:

(According to his Wikipedia page Isidore might have actually been Greek, and the vodka he created was initally called “bread wine”.)

They also explain the bottle design, which is supposed to have been influenced by historical vodka bottles:

And they give a brilliant Chekhov quote about how to drink vodka:

the Chekhov quote

“You don’t drink the vodka down right away. No, sir. First you take a deep breath…Only then do you raise that vodka slowly to your lips and suddenly, sparks! They fly from your stomach to the furthest reaches of your body.” Anton Chekhov – The Siren

I enjoyed this quote very much. Especially since I had often observed Slavic drinkers taking a preparatory breath before drinking vodka.

what’s going on

So anyway, I find myself a bit confused by all the grandeur. Legend Of Kremlin vodka claims to be the oldest vodka ever, and it evokes images of rich people driving Lamborghinis. But then they don’t update their website. There’s an Instagram account where they post irregularly, mostly feel-good quotes over luxury pictures. Generic stuff.

So I guess it’s time to talk about our review of Legend of Kremlin vodka.

Legend Of Kremlin vodka is overpriced

I was surprised to find out that it didn’t taste very refined. Legend Of Kremlin vodka definitely wasn’t as mild and smooth as Belvedere, Grey Goose, or Beluga Noble. It was still a bit less rough than Partisan, but I would have expected something else from a luxury vodka.

Another problem was the aftertaste. It was good, but it wasn’t anything like the greats. There was a little bit of a kick, and it warmed up the stomach. And that was it.

I liked the bottle design for some reason (it looked nice when you held it from the bottom, not from the neck), but the price tag of 33€ for 700ml was a bit high.

Overall I’d say this vodka is alright. You can enjoy it neat, but it would be better if it were less expensive.