There are a number of reliable old standbys as well as a skull-shaped spirit backed by celebs.

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It wasn't until 1951 that the United States government recognized vodka as a separate spirit, despite the fact that vodka has been around since the 12th century when Viatka monks first distilled it in Russia. It is, however, stoically defined as “neutral spirits distilled or treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, so as to lack any distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color” even though this clear elixir forms the basis for many of today’s most popular cocktails.

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Recently, however, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced on May 4, 2020, that that old definition of vodka was passé, acknowledging the craft movement of the 20th and 21st centuries. According to the new definition, vodka can have a “distinctive character,” though wooden barrels cannot be used to age it.

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However, vodka makers had exercised their individuality for years before this new ruling was passed, since vodka can be made from virtually any organic substance. In Providence, Rhode Island, a company has just launched an oyster-derived vodka aptly called Osteida. Here are seventeen of the most original vodkas on the market right now, even though this semi-briny concoction hasn't yet hit the mainstream.

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Broken Shed

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The production of vodka is possible anywhere in the world, unlike other spirits such as tequila and cognac. This is evident especially in this vodka from New Zealand, which was made by two explorers in an old shed by the banks of Lake Wanaka. After contemplating the jagged mountains, bubbling springs, and glassy fjords of New Zealand one day, they decided to create a vodka that would reflect the almost surreal landscape. In the end, they created a spirit that is crisp and clean, with just the faintest hint of sweetness and creamy anise, combining the purest waters from New Zealand's natural reservoirs with the whey from free-range dairy cows, followed by triple distillation.

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Bootlegger New York Craft Vodka

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Although this award-winning spirit was named after the Prohibition, it isn't illegal at all. As part of their proprietary process, Roscoe's boutique Do Good Spirits distills corn, charcoal filters it six times over a 24-hour period, and then blends it with water from the Catskills' Pepacton watershed. The result is a silky-smooth vodka with subtle notes of green apples and white pepper.

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Don Corleone Gold Organic Italian Vodka

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When Marlon Brando stars out at you from an ominous black bottle, there's something about his jowly countenance that says, "This is a vodka you cannot refuse." 

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A certified organic vodka, quadruple distilled from wheat grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, and made with pure spring water in the Alps above the Distillerie Francoli in Ghemme, Italy, where it is produced. A final filtering is performed by cellulose panels before the vodka is bottled. So, take the vodka and pair it with a cannoli.

Hanson of Sonoma Organic Original Vodka

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The distillery is surrounded by 40 acres of vineyards and is located in Sonoma's Carneros wine region. As a result, the Hansons use Sonoma County's abundant grapes to make their vodka, and partner with a third-generation winemaking family to provide and press much of the estate-grown fruit used to make their organically certified vodka. This spirit has a delicate and tantalizing thickness with a clean, sweet and somewhat fruity aroma, along with a lingering earth and mandarin flavor. In addition to sipping it neat and chilled, you can also mix it with Luxardo Cherry Sangue Morlacco Liqueur to create a sophisticated yet simple cocktail.

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Elit Vodka

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In order to highlight the importance of Stolichnaya's water, Elit Vodka, Stolichnaya's ultra-premium offshoot, launched the Pristine Water Series three years ago, priced at nearly $3,000 a bottle. With every bottle sold out, the luxury-branded Elit seems like a real bargain, as each bottle sold out. As the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) awards Elit a Superlative Platinum Medal, it has won the "Best Vodka of the Year" award 10 times. An elegant blend of spring and winter wheat grown on the Kerschinskoye estate in Russia, blended with artesian water and then filtered four times with Elit's signature -18°C freeze-filtration process, this vodka is crisp, dry, almost buoyant and finished with herbs and black pepper.