Vodka Review: Stolichnaya Elit (Stoli Elit) by VodkaBuzz
- Rating
- out of 5 shots
- Bang For The Buck
- 0 out of 5 shots
- User Rating
-
4.0000 out of 5 shots
- Rate It Now!
- Average Price
- $59.99 per 750 mL / See By State / You add a price you've seen if you join VodkaBuzz.
- Percent Alcohol
- 40
- Distilled From
- Grain
- Charcoal Filtered
- Yes
- Produced By
- S.P.I. Group
- Imported By
- Allied Domecq Spirits
- Website
- Stolichnaya Elit (Stoli Elit)
- Cap Type
- Plastic Screw On
Identifying Features
The tall, thin bottle is clear glass, except for the top quarter, which is covered in black starting from the bottom left of the quadrant angling up to the middle right. The cap is silver and angled out out of the bottle. Stolichnaya is written in script above an embossed triangle with a flame in the middle. Below is "elit" followed by Russian characters that translate to "elite vodka".
Written on the Bottle
Stolichnaya Elit ЭЛИТ ВОДКА Ultra Luxury Russian Vodka.
Review
I've stared at Stoli Elit for months. The only thing that kept me away was the $69.00 price tag here at the local ABC Store. It's safe to say that this is the most expensive bottle of alcohol I've purchased. Since I was celebrating a special occasion and I had to review it eventually, I picked up the bottle.
For the record, I couldn't post the price of this vodka in my database because it augmented the averages too much. It caused the more expensive vodkas to register as average price, which mis-represents the playing field.
The Shot
Unsurprisingly, Stoli Elite tastes just like Stoli. Stoli Elite is much smoother than Stoli, but that's about the only difference.
The Mixed Drink
Stoli Elite is a great mixing vodka. It was completely undetectable in my Simply Orange Juice and Red Bull.
Opinions
Erin wanted me to note that this is the first vodka she's been able to breathe after shooting before taking a shot without gagging. She said she couldn't taste the vodka in her Simply Orange Juice and Red Bull.
Stolichnaya Elit is a good vodka. It takes all the good characteristics of Stoli and refines away all the bad. That said, I can find no reason Solti Elit should cost as much as it does. It would fit perfectly in the same price bracket as the ultra premium brands like 360, Chopin, Grey Goose, X Rated, and the rest. Instead, it gets slotted into some ultra-super-mega premium league with no other competitors that I'm aware of (which is probably for the best for S.P.I., because it drinks only as well as other ultra premiums).
If you have more money than you know what to do with, Stoli Elit is a great vodka. If you're like me, don't bother. There are better vodkas for about half the price.
Comments On Stolichnaya Elit (Stoli Elit)
jusdit said on Sep 05, 2008 at 7:42 pm...
it wasn't worth the $63.00. Standard Sobieski a lot better. I hadn't had Tito's! cbs
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Steve Hatz said on Dec 24, 2008 at 2:55 pm...
The ONLY way to enjoy Stoli Elite is frozen and neat. If you want a mix, buy Grey Goose.
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russian obsession said on Feb 04, 2009 at 12:52 pm...
winner of best spirit on show, new york... says it all
p.s all vodka must be frozen and grey goose is over-priced, more so
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Andrea said on Dec 03, 2009 at 5:24 am...
Hi, I'm Andrea from Italy, I'm a bartender.
I think Elit is a great vodka. Well, I love Grey Gose and Beluga for their fantastic flavour, but elit has more personality.
I think grey goose is the best vodka to make a great Vodka Martini or Vodka Tonic but Elit is great with caviar and pickled gherkins.
In the end, in Europe, Elit costs under 40 € (Grey Goose 22 €).
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King Dad said on Dec 26, 2009 at 4:07 pm...
I was given a bottle Elit as a Christmas gift by my very well-traveled son. It is extraordinary! I don't know what he paid for it but that doesn't matter. I now have a super-premium vodka that I am very proud of and can very easily taste the difference. Last year, my other son gave me a bottle of Patron which in it's own right an extraordinary drink.
I will without a doubt continue to use my Absolute as my "normal everyday" vodka, but I sure will enjoy "my good stuff" after a tough day or with friends in my home. It is really, really good !
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Robert said on Dec 28, 2009 at 7:41 am...
That's a great gift, King Dad! After you kill off your bottle of Elit, you may also be interested in trying Russian Standard Imperia if you can find it in your area. It's also a great Russian vodka (typical Russian bite, but less pronounced to be more friendly to American palates), but costs less than Elit. It might allow you to get that "special occasion" flavor without needing quite as special of a reason to crack it open.
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taffyg2003 said on May 30, 2010 at 4:01 pm...
I had the opportunity to try a Stoli Elite martini immediately following a terrific Zyr martini while out to dinner a couple of nights ago. In fact, I hadn't finished the Zyr before the Stoli Elite was served at the bar. The two vodkas seemed very similar; very smooth, mildly bittersweet, and had a mild Russian-style bite upon swallowing. At first I thought that the Zyr was a little smoother. Then I thought that the Elite was even smoother as the martini warmed up a little. But then, I thought Zyr was smoother, and so on. Perhaps, the the Zyr martini was a little tastier (though still relatively mild in that regard compared to other good Russian vodkas), but they had equally mild bites on swallowing. MAYBE, Elite was the smoother of the two, but it was a very subtle distinction. In the end, like Zyr, Stoli Elite earned 5 stars. Comparing my other 5 star ranked vodkas, Elite (and Zyr) was a little less smooth than Crystal Head, but a little smoother than Americana Luxury Vodka. Elite (and Zyr) had more bite than Crystal Head, but about the same as Americana. Americana is the tastiest of the 5 star group, however. Elite joins a group of some very fine vodkas, indeed!
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Chris said on Aug 30, 2010 at 4:18 pm...
It doesn't matter how nice the establishment that you are frequenting, if you are having ANY vodka combined with a mixer, your trusty bartender is pooring you the well. The reason is because you won't know the difference, and if you disagree with this, then you deserve to drink skol. Hopefully, the place where you are going has a premium well with either sobieski or wodka
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