Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka 40%

In Kaunas stands a red brick factory that has been making grain spirit since 1906. It has survived two world wars, a Soviet era and a rebirth as free Lithuanian craft. This bottle was the first organic vodka the house released — and the first from Lithuania at all.

Expert description

Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka is a Lithuanian Organic Vodka made from organic wheat and deep subsurface water, bottled at 40%.

The grain comes exclusively from EU certified organic fields, kept apart from the surrounding conventional land so that no mixing happens along the way. The water is drawn from deep down, where it has been shielded from surface contamination for thousands of years. Those two things are what an organic certification stands or falls on, and both are controllable.

The filtration is the technical signature. The spirit passes first through sand, then through activated charcoal, and finally through a linen filter — a method that was new to Lithuania when the bottle launched. The linen catches the last particles mechanically rather than binding aroma compounds chemically the way charcoal does, and that is why the grain character is still there afterwards.

You can taste it. The vodka is unusually mild, almost gentle, with a clear sweetness in the middle that is not added but comes from the wheat. There are no sharp edges and no spirit bite, and it belongs among the vodkas that best withstand being drunk neat at the table.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clean and gentle with a soft grain note. Behind it sits a suggestion of white bread and a stroke of fresh grass.

Palate

Very mild with a clear, natural sweetness in the middle. The texture is smooth and lightly syrupy, without any sharpness.

Finish

Short and clean with a soft trail of sweetness. No warmth arrives at the end.

Specifications

Name: Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka
Distillery: Stumbras
Region/Country: Kaunas, Lithuania
Type: Lithuanian Organic Vodka
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Distillation method: Distilled from organic wheat, filtered through sand, activated charcoal and linen
EAN no.: 4770033228585
Serving suggestion: Chilled to 5-10 degrees in a small glass with herring and rye bread.

Flavour profile

Mild · Soft · Lightly sweet · Clean

Did you know?

Stumbras means wisent in Lithuanian, that is the European bison. The animal is the largest land mammal in Europe, vanished from the Lithuanian forests and was reintroduced during the last century. The name was hardly picked at random for a spirit meant to signal strength and Lithuanian nature.

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Frequently asked questions about Stumbras Premium Organic Vodka

What does filtration through linen mean?

It is a mechanical fine filtration at the end of the process. Where activated charcoal binds aroma compounds chemically and therefore removes flavour along with impurities, the linen simply sieves out the last particles. That is why the grain character is still intact once the vodka is finished.

How organic is it?

The wheat comes exclusively from EU certified organic fields kept physically apart from conventional land to avoid mixing. That holds all the way through to bottling. It was the first organic vodka produced in Lithuania.

Why is it so mild?

The combination of soft deep water, a very clean distillation and the gentle final filtration. The sweetness in the middle is not added but comes from the wheat, and it is that which makes the vodka seem rounder than the strength suggests.

How is it best drunk?

Chilled to between 5 and 10 degrees in a small glass, which is the house recommendation for its grain vodka. Ice cold from the freezer makes it needlessly taut, and you lose precisely the soft sweetness you bought the bottle for.

What should I eat with it?

Herring, rye bread, cold cuts and pickled vegetables. It is mild enough not to fight the food and has just enough sweetness to carry salt and acidity. In the Baltic tradition vodka is drunk at the table rather than at the bar, and this one is built for that.

How old is the distillery?

Production in Kaunas began in 1906 and the factory has been running ever since. The buildings belong to the industrial heritage of the city and are used today for art exhibitions and concerts between the production halls.

Can you visit Stumbras?

Yes. The factory has a museum which opened in 2009, and there are guided tours with tastings for visitors over 20. The museum sits on the factory site itself in Kaunas. To see other Baltic and Eastern European houses, look through our Vodka brands.