Berliner Brandstifter 2016 Vodka 70 cl 43,3%

Berlin keeps wild gardens between its apartment blocks. The elder bush by the railway line, the cornflower in a neglected courtyard, the wild rose climbing a firewall. Berliner Brandstifter collects exactly those flowers and puts them into a vodka.

Expert description

Berliner Brandstifter 2016 Vodka is a German Vodka from Berliner Brandstifter, distilled from French sugar beet, refined with Berlin flowers and bottled at 43.3%.

The house was founded in 2009 by Vincent Honrodt, whose great-grandfather ran a spirits business in Berlin in the early twentieth century. The name translates as arsonist, and it is meant as a joke: in old Berlin slang, an arsonist was also somebody who burned spirit.

The base is a distillate of selected French sugar beet, five times distilled and seven times filtered. That gives a rare mildness despite the 43.3%, and it leaves a faintly earthy sweetness that grain vodka simply does not have. On top come the flowers: wild rose, elderberry, blackcurrant, violet root and cornflower, all grown and hand-harvested at the Speisegut farm in Berlin.

The flowers macerate for several weeks and are then distilled individually before the distillates are blended into the base. Each batch rests for some weeks in a 700-litre tank so the aromas can settle, and is then bottled in runs of 999. Label and number go on by hand in Berlin.

Tasting notes

Nose

Floral and fresh. Elderflower arrives first, then blackcurrant leaf and a fine powdered touch of violet root.

Palate

Mild despite the strength. A faintly earthy sweetness from the sugar beet carries blackcurrant and rose petal, with a peppery glint at the end.

Finish

Medium and drying. The flowers withdraw slowly and leave a clean, lightly mineral impression.

Specifications

Name: Berliner Brandstifter Vodka
Producer: Berliner Brandstifter
Region/Country: Berlin, Germany
Type: German Vodka
ABV: 43.3%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Five times distilled from French sugar beet, seven times filtered, refined with Berlin flowers
Edition: 2016
EAN no.: 4260393531000
Serving suggestion: Neat and cool in a small glass, or as a vodka soda over ice where the flowers get some air.

Flavour profile

Floral · Mild · Blackcurrant · Lightly earthy sweetness

Did you know?

The bottle has won as much for how it looks as for what is in it. It took gold at both the German Design Award and the European Product Design Award in 2017, the same year the vodka itself collected a DLG Golden Award for product quality.

See our full range of Vodka

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Berliner Brandstifter Vodka

What is it made from?

French sugar beet. That is an unusual choice, since most premium vodkas use wheat, rye, potatoes or corn. Sugar beet distillate carries a softer, faintly earthy sweetness, and that is the ground the flowers sit on.

Which flowers are in it?

Wild rose, elderberry, blackcurrant, violet root and cornflower. They are grown at the Speisegut farm in Berlin and harvested by hand. Each component macerates for several weeks and is distilled separately before the distillates are blended into the base.

So is it a flavoured vodka?

It sits on the border. The flowers are clear on the nose, but they are dosed so lightly that the bottle still behaves like an ordinary vodka in a drink. Think of it as a vodka with a tone rather than a flavoured vodka.

Why is it bottled at 43.3%?

The strength carries the floral aromas. Taken down to 40%, the fine notes of violet root and rose would thin out, and the extra degrees give them something to sit on. The sevenfold filtration is what stops that strength feeling hard.

What does the number on the bottle mean?

Every bottling is made in runs of 999 bottles, numbered and labelled by hand in Berlin. The number tells you which place the bottle holds in its run, not how rare the vodka is in itself.

How is it best drunk?

Cool and simple. Neat in a small glass shows the flowers best, and a vodka soda over ice with a strip of lemon peel opens them further. Keep the mix short, because tonic and sweetened mixers drown the elderflower.

What else does Berliner Brandstifter make?

Gin, grain spirit and whisky. The house is best known for its Berlin Dry Gin but also makes a cask-aged gin, a Premium Kornbrand and a Single Malt Whisky. To see other houses in the same category, browse our Vodka brands.