Moldova is best known for its vineyards and for the cellars that run for kilometres into the limestone. But the country also carries a distilling tradition that survived two hundred years of Russian rule. Firestarter is built on a recipe from the 1800s.
Expert description
Firestarter Vodka is a Moldovan Vodka made from winter wheat, triple distilled and filtered five times through platinum, bottled at 40%.
Winter wheat is sown in autumn, stands through the frost and is not harvested until the following summer. The long growing season packs more starch into the grain, and that gives a spirit with more body and a clearer sweetness than summer wheat delivers. The raw material carries this whole vodka.
Two moves set it apart. During the final distillation the spirit is run through honey, without that showing up as sweetness — it registers instead as a richness in the mouthfeel. The vodka is then filtered five times through platinum, which strips the last sharp edges away without scrubbing out the grain.
Tasting notes
Nose
Fresh and close to neutral. A pale grain note, a suggestion of meadow flower and something wet and stony in the background.
Palate
Smooth with a fine wheat weight. Pepper arrives halfway through, and a light acidity keeps the whole thing in balance.
Finish
Short and clean. The pepper hangs on for a moment before everything closes down quietly.
Specifications
Name: Firestarter Vodka
Producer: Firestarter
Region/Country: Moldova
Type: Moldovan Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Triple distilled, five times platinum filtered
Serving suggestion: Ice cold as a shot with spiced food, or in a Vodka Tonic with a slice of lemon.
Flavour profile
Smooth · Wheat bodied · Lightly peppery · Fresh
Did you know?
Firestarter has previously been sold in a container shaped like a fire extinguisher. The name is not merely an attitude, then — it has been taken entirely literally on the shelf.
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