The Vodkaphiles Review
Made in: Russia
Distributed/Imported in the US by: BMC Imports
Main raw material: Winter wheat and rye.
Expected retail price: $ 25.00
This unique drink is made according to a centuries old recipe by infusing handpicked Wild Bilberries with fine Russian vodka. Russian nobles developed this traditional low-alcohol (22%) vodka-based drink to perfection 300 years ago.
| Characteristic | Score | Possible |
| Aroma/Fragrance | 17.83 | 20 |
| Appearance/Texture | 17.50 | 20 |
| Taste/Aftertaste | 42.50 | 50 |
| Packaging/Marketing | 7.83 | 10 |
| Totals | 85.67 | 100 |
Jewel of Russia Wild Bilberry Infusion
Here are the comments our experts shared on this vodka.
This smells wonderful. Bilberry does not sound as appealing in English as lingonberry, which is the predominant flavor, so the marketing people might consider changing the name. It's a bit medicinal, as berry infusions often are, and a bit sweet to my taste, but it's still a nice vodka.
Soft cherry color with copper hue.
Dried berry fruit, malt, gain, and musty notes with a slightly syrupy character.
Earth, must, almost cork like flavor hints at leather and exotic spices.
A bit disjointed and unfocused as its earthy character; strays from any proposed berry presence.
Package is unflattering and clumsy and pays no hommage to its flavoring constituant. Pourer is problematic.
Deeply luminous red color and sweet fragrance is incredibly inviting. A much fuller, more complex and pleasing flavor than the cranberry infusion. I particularly enjoyed this one served right from the cupboard over a glass filled with ice. I particularly liked the balance in this liquor -- it does not have an overbearing sweetness that lingers in the mouth, nor does it have a bite in the aftertaste. Bottling is a nice retro, Old World style, but pourer does not add anything. Well done!
Very attractive aroma of ripe, sweet berries and spice. Lovely appearance, clear, rich reddish color. Creamy, full, velvety and smooth. Ripe berry and faint grain taste, no medicinal quality. Good balance between ripe fruit, fruit acidity and distillate. However, a bit too sweet for my taste. I began to like it after several tastes but think I would prefer this Vodka over ice with a twist of lemon or lime.
Crisp, somewhat sweet but not cloying. A welcome addition to the martini bar's menu listing - one could invent all sorts of interesting drinks with this as a base.
A great apertif.
Reviews of Jewel of Russia Wild Bilberry Infusion by visitors to the Vodkaphiles website
Our vodka experts are dispersed around the country, tasting the very best vodkas. We do not gather together in one place, engage in Groupthink, and otherwise influence one another's opinions. Each expert has their own tastes, preferences and quirks (but we share a tasting methodology). We feel all of this contributes to more interesting, honest results.
It is worth noting that, in our scoring, we use the full 100 point scale, not just the top 10 or 20 points of it. We don't believe in grade inflation, and we consider a score of 80 or above to be the mark of a fine vodka. The final scores tallied above are the average scores of our seven vodka experts from around the country.