Beluga Noble Vodka Review

Beluga Noble Vodka is a distinctive chemical-free vodka with true Siberian provenance. Its lightly sweet flavors of vanilla, oatmeal, and honey get spicier on the back palate, leading to a dry and bracing finish. 

Tasting Notes

Color: Crystal-clear, as vodka should be

Nose: Grain is at the forefront—think a savory bowl of oatmeal—with a little sweet citrus underneath.

Palate: When tasted neat, it’s lightly sweet with hints of vanilla, making way for oatmeal lightly drizzled with honey. Things get drier on the back of the palate, with a light spice developing. Drunk chilled (because who drinks vodka at room temperature?), there are more dry, bracing herbal notes as well as a bit of tart grapefruit.

Finish: Clean, dry and lingering longer than most vodkas, it’s quite pleasant and reminiscent of the aroma, heavy on the cereal notes and with a little tart citrus complementing it.

Our Review

The Beluga brand was launched in 2002, but the Mariinsk distillery in Siberia, where it’s made, has been in operation since 1900. Beluga Noble, one of several vodkas in the Beluga line, is distilled from local Siberian winter wheat, and the water is sourced from nearby 1,000-foot-deep artesian wells. Post-distillation, it’s rested in stainless steel tanks for 30 days, which is said to produce a smoother, rounder flavor.

Beluga Noble isn’t considered a flavored vodka, but it’s said to be very lightly flavored post-distillation with honey and extracts of oat and milk thistle, just enough to give a distinct and delightful note. As it gets colder, it gets better and more complex. The best way to drink it is straight from the freezer, when the winter wheat from which it’s distilled makes its presence most felt, along with the oats and honey. The bottle alludes to the famed caviar, and Beluga Noble and caviar is indeed an excellent pairing. If you haven’t got any caviar handy, however, it also works well in any vodka-based cocktail and makes a spectacular Martini. 

For those who still think vodka should be odorless and tasteless, Beluga Noble may be a little over-the-top. For fans who understand that vodkas are more than alcoholic bottled water, it’s a great one.