Reyka Premium Iceland Vodka Small Batch 70 cl 40%

Borgarnes sits on a fjord halfway up the west coast of Iceland, lava fields on one side and the Atlantic on the other. The air is so clean it is hard to describe to anyone who has not stood in it. The distillery here runs on steam from the volcanoes underground and filters its vodka through the stone those same volcanoes spat out.

Expert description

Reyka Small Batch is an Icelandic Vodka from Reyka in Borgarnes, distilled from grain and spring water running through a 4,000 year old lava field, bottled at 40%.

The interesting part of Reyka is the still. The distillery works with a Carter-Head still, a type only a handful of which survive anywhere in the world, and it is packed with copper. The copper strips out sulphur and the heaviest alcohols on the way through, which is why Reyka can get away with a single distillation where others run the spirit through a column five or six times. Character is kept rather than polished off.

The water comes from a spring running through a lava field around 4,000 years old, containing almost no minerals. After distillation the spirit is filtered through lava rock, which is porous in a different way from activated charcoal and leaves the vodka crisp rather than softly rounded. Batches are small, and each distillation takes about five hours.

The result is not a neutral vodka. There is clear citrus on the nose, a spiced edge mid palate, and the alcohol shows up as a warmth that burns a little. Some would call that imperfect, others would call it character. Reyka belongs in the second camp, and that is why it holds its ground in drinks where a wholly characterless vodka simply vanishes.

Tasting notes

Nose

Plenty of citrus, mostly lemon peel with a trace of grapefruit. Beneath that sits a clean, cool minerality with no sweetness.

Palate

Classic grain vodka with a clear citrus streak and a spiced edge of white pepper. The alcohol burns a little and gives a drink something to stand on.

Finish

Spiced and dry, medium length. The citrus holds longest while the pepper slowly withdraws.

Specifications

Name: Reyka Small Batch
Distillery: Reyka
Region/Country: Borgarnes, Iceland
Type: Icelandic Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Single distillation in a Carter-Head still, filtered through lava rock
Serving suggestion: Ice cold and neat in a small glass, or in a Moscow Mule where the citrus meets the ginger.

Flavour profile

Citrus · Spiced · Mineral · Crisp

Did you know?

Reyka's master distiller is called Þórður Sigurðsson, and he also looks after the village fire engine and police car. In a coastal town of a couple of thousand people there is no room for only doing one thing.

See our full range of Vodka

Listen to our podcast:

Frequently asked questions about Reyka Small Batch

What is a Carter-Head still?

It is a hybrid of a pot still and a column, with a copper chamber at the top where vapour passes through copper turnings. Very few of them remain anywhere, and they are mostly used for gin. The copper binds sulphur compounds, which is why the distillate comes out clean enough after a single pass.

Why only one distillation?

Because the copper does the work that repeated distillation would otherwise have to do. Run a spirit through a column many times and you remove both faults and character. Reyka takes the opposite route: one pass, more grain character left, and a vodka you can still detect through a drink.

What does small batch mean here?

That limited quantities are run and each distillation takes about five hours. For comparison, large industrial plants run continuously around the clock. The short batch makes it possible to follow the distillate closely and cut it exactly where you want.

Is it really filtered through lava rock?

Yes, and it is not just a nice picture on the label. Lava rock is porous in a different way from activated charcoal: it removes less, and it leaves a crisp, almost sharp sensation instead of the soft rounding charcoal filtration gives. That is part of why Reyka does not taste quite like anything else.

Is it soft, or does the alcohol bite?

It bites a little, and that is deliberate. At 40% and with only one distillation there is more of the raw material left, and it registers as a spiced warmth in the throat. To calm it down, keep the bottle in the freezer. The cold wraps up the alcohol without removing the citrus.

How do Icelanders drink it?

Often as a Reyka Kúla: one part vodka, six parts soda water and a wedge of grapefruit in a tall glass packed with ice. It sounds too simple to be good, but the grapefruit pulls the citrus in the vodka forward, and the result is dry and dangerously easy to drink.

Is the distillery really powered by volcanoes?

Practically speaking, yes. Iceland's geothermal heat comes from the volcanic bedrock, and the distillery in Borgarnes runs on that kind of energy. It is also why Reyka can claim an unusually low footprint for a spirits producer.

Who owns Reyka?

The Scottish family firm William Grant & Sons, also behind Glenfiddich and Hendrick's Gin. That is precisely how a Carter-Head still ended up in Iceland: they know the type from making gin. To see other houses, browse our Vodka brands.