Grey Goose French Ultra Premium Vodka 150 cl 40%

A litre and a half changes the shape of an evening. Nobody counts glasses, and nobody has to go digging in a cupboard for a fresh bottle halfway through. The geese also get room to spread across a surface where you can actually see them.

Expert description

Grey Goose is a French Vodka made from soft winter wheat, bottled at 40% in a 150 cl bottle.

The water is the half of the recipe that rarely gets told properly. It comes from a well in Gensac-la-Pallue, a small town in the Cognac region, where it rises from an aquifer beneath the building itself. On the way up through the limestone it is filtered naturally, and it is collected fresh at the source without further treatment.

That water is precisely why blending and bottling happen in Cognac rather than in Picardie, where the wheat grows. The spirit is brought to Gensac and taken down to strength with the spring water, and only then does it go into glass. The whole chain stays inside French borders.

At this size it becomes a different sort of bottle to handle. Full, it wants two hands, and in return it stretches across a whole evening of drinks built for the table rather than for single glasses. The soft wheat character takes citrus, bubbles and elderflower without disappearing.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft grain and pale marzipan, with a floral note and a breath of freshly peeled lemon over the top.

Palate

Round and full. The wheat settles as mild sweetness mid tongue, followed by a discreet nutty note and a stroke of pepper.

Finish

Soft and medium. It dries out slowly and leaves a cool, mineral impression behind.

Specifications

Name: Grey Goose
Producer: Grey Goose
Region/Country: Picardie and Cognac, France
Type: French Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 150 CL
Distillation method: Single distilled in a continuous column
Serving suggestion: In a Le Grand Fizz with elderflower liqueur, lime and sparkling water, served in large wine glasses for the whole table.

Flavour profile

Round · Soft · Nutty · Cool

Did you know?

The man who put the recipe together was François Thibault, a maître de chai from Cognac. He had worked with brandy all his life and had never made vodka, and he approached the job like a cellar master: choose the raw material, touch it as little as possible and let the water decide the rest.

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Frequently asked questions about Grey Goose 150 cl

Is it the same vodka as in the smaller bottle?

Yes. The same winter wheat from Picardie, the same spring water from Gensac-la-Pallue, the same single distillation and the same 40%. Only the volume and the dimensions of the bottle differ.

How many servings does 150 cl give?

At 4 cl per glass it stretches to roughly thirty-seven servings. For a party of twenty it covers the first half of the evening, and in a home bar it lasts a long time if it is mainly used for long drinks.

What does the water from Gensac-la-Pallue do to the flavour?

It keeps the finish cool and clean. The water is filtered through limestone on its way up through the ground and carries little in the way of heavier minerals, so it does not settle on top of the wheat. It is collected at the source and used without further treatment.

Is a bottle this size practical to pour from?

It takes a little technique. Full, it weighs enough that you should hold both the neck and the base, and a pourer makes the measures more accurate. If you are building several drinks in a row, it is easier to transfer a portion into a smaller decanter.

Which drinks work best when you are serving a crowd?

The ones that can be built in large glasses or jugs. A Le Grand Fizz with elderflower and lime, a simple vodka tonic with cucumber or a jug with grapefruit and sparkling water all take little work and scale well. See more bottles for the bar among our Vodka brands.

How should a large bottle be stored once opened?

Upright, cool and dark. A litre and a half typically stays open longer than a standard bottle, and it is the air at the top rather than the time that affects the aroma. Seal the cap properly and it keeps easily for years.

Does it work as a gift?

Yes, especially as a host gift for someone throwing a party. The format signals that the bottle is meant to be used rather than stored, and the frosted panel with the geese carries a table without any extra wrapping.