Imperia

Russia

Imperia vodka

high expectations

This is a review of Imperia vodka from Russia. I sampled it in China in 2010. It’s clear, 40% alcohol, and I thought it could have been more special.

I am a big fan of Russian Standard – in fact it was the first vodka that I really liked. So when I found out that the Russian Standard brand had a luxury edition called Imperia vodka, I was naturally excited.

Would it be better than awesome? How perfect could a vodka be?

relaxation tanks

Turns out that Russian Standard has the best domain ever: vodka.com. I bet Tito’s must be jealous AF. Anyway, they have a short explainer on Imperia vodka there. It says the stuff goes through 72 hours in “relaxation tanks”:

Imperia vodka site
from vodka.com/the-family/imperia on September 26th 2021

What the hell is a relaxation tank, though?

Imperia vodka isn’t overpriced

Obviously, this stuff isn’t exactly supposed to be very affordable. So I was surprised that it turned out to be less expensive than many other premium brands. I shelved out 20€ for a 700ml bottle. I admired the bottle design with its maroon highlights and edges. Then I got ready.

Bread.

Pickles.

Water.

Glasses.

And – most importantly – a room full of friends.

not special enough

The vodka itself was good but not awesome. Sure it was smooth – I guess that’s to be expected after three days in those relaxation tanks? So it was nice, but it wasn’t special. The aftertaste was there as well. I’m not sure how to describe the aroma. Again it was good but not the best.

Overall, I would have expected Imperia vodka to be a lot more… special.

Or did I just fall victim to my own expectations?