There is something about an old spirits bottle with an orange‑red label, still clinging on despite decades of dust, that tells more than any tasting note ever could. This Gordon’s Vodka is a piece of American bar history from the 1970s, from a time when a bottle was expected to pour itself, and when Gordon’s boar’s head sat just as proudly on a vodka bottle as it did on the gin.
Expert description Gordon’s Vodka 175 cl is an American vodka bottled in large format with a built‑in pourer, distilled from 100% neutral grain spirit and bottled at 40% ABV.
The bottle was produced and bottled in the USA by The Distillers Company, Limited at the company’s facilities in Linden, New Jersey, Plainfield, Illinois and Union City, California, for Gordon’s Dry Gin Company Limited. The patented “Built‑in Pourer” — a pour spout molded directly into the neck of the bottle under U.S. Patent No. 3,930,042 — was a typical solution in the American spirits industry of the era, where bars and home bars needed to pour quickly without a loose funnel or spout.
The label carries Gordon’s familiar boar’s head and the year 1769, otherwise known from the company’s famous London Dry Gin, showing how the brand in the U.S. for a period also lent its name to a vodka in the same visual identity. Based on the design and patent number, the bottle is estimated to have been filled in the 1970s. The bottle is sold as a collector’s item/memorabilia — note the wear and a crack at the top of the label, as shown in the photos.
Tasting notes Nose As the bottle is from the 1970s and cannot be tasted, the notes below are general style notes for the neutral, grain‑based American vodka style of the time — not an assessment of this specific bottle’s contents. The style is expected to be clean and lightly grainy without pronounced aromas, as was the norm for the era’s “smoothest, most mixable” vodkas.
Palate Neutral and slightly sweet in style, without distinct character beyond the clean grain spirit — typical of mass‑produced American vodka of the time, intended for cocktails.
Finish Short and clean, without notable aftertaste.
Specifications Name: Gordon’s Vodka Distillery: Gordon’s Bottler: The Distillers Company, Limited Region/Country: USA Type: Vodka ABV: 40% Size: 175 cl Bottled: 1970s (estimated)
Flavour profile Vintage · Grain‑based · Neutral · American
Did you know? Patent number 3,930,042 on the label refers to the pourer itself, not the vodka — a detail many collectors overlook, but one that makes it possible to date the bottle precisely using U.S. patent records.
See our full selection of Vodka. Listen to our podcast:
