Koskenkorva is not something a marketing agency invented. It is the name of a village in flat, windswept Ostrobothnia, where the barley fields run right up to the distillery gate and the grain often travels less than twenty kilometres to reach its final destination.
Expert description
Koskenkorva Organic is an Organic Finnish Vodka distilled from barley grown on the distillery's own and neighbouring fields, bottled at 37.5%.
The Koskenkorva distillery has been running since 1953 and is today one of the largest grain processing plants in the Nordics. The barley arrives as whole grain, is cooked, fermented and sent through a tall column, where the distillate passes more than 250 distillation stages on the way up. That kind of plant produces a very clean, nearly characterless spirit, and everything after that depends on what you do with it.
Here it is diluted with Finnish spring water and left alone. The organic barley is grown without artificial fertiliser or pesticides, and because it is not hidden behind added flavourings you can actually taste it: a dry, grainy tone under the clean surface. At 37.5% the mouthfeel is a shade lighter than a 40% vodka, which makes it easy to mix with.
Finns treat Koskenkorva as an everyday spirit in the best sense of the phrase. It is as common in the kitchen as behind the bar, and it gets drunk ice cold from small glasses at summer cabins right through July. The brand belongs to Anora, which also runs the bioenergy plant sitting next door to the distillery.
Tasting notes
Nose
Dry and cool with a clear grain character. No sweetness, no perfume, just clean barley and a hint of wet flour.
Palate
Light and mild rather than forceful. The barley shows up as a coarse, almost bready tone halfway through, and the alcohol stays in the background.
Finish
Short to medium and thoroughly dry. A small rasp of grain husk hangs on, and then it is gone.
Specifications
Name: Koskenkorva Organic Vodka
Distillery: Koskenkorva
Region/Country: Koskenkorva, Finland
Type: Organic Finnish Vodka
ABV: 37.5%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Continuous column distillation from organic barley
EAN no.: 6412700558813
Serving suggestion: Ice cold in a small glass alongside food, or as the base of a Moscow Mule or Bloody Mary.
Flavour profile
Dry · Grainy · Light · Clean
Did you know?
The barley husks from production are not thrown away. They are burned in the distillery's own bioenergy plant and cover a large share of its heating needs, while starch and protein from the grain go on to food products and animal feed. Very little of a barley kernel goes unused at Koskenkorva.
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