Stolichnaya (Stoli)

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Stolichnaya (Stoli) is a 40% ABV vodka from Latvia. It is filtered with Charcoal. The vodka is produced by Latvijas Balzams and imported by Stoli Group. The quality is considered to be good. The average price is around $17.07 per 750mL. Rated 3 out of 5 based on 12 reviews.

The bottle states the following:

Stolichnaya is the most distinctive vodka in the world. Distilled from rich grain and finished with pure natural waters, Stolichnaya is from Russia, the birthplace of great vodka. Try it chilled neat (traditional Russian style), on the rocks or with your favorite juice or mixer. You’ll taste why “Stoli” is The Russian Phenomenon.

Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review

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I originally wrote this review in April 2008. A lot of folks recently have mentioned that my info from 2008 Stoli bottles isn’t correct anymore. Russian market Stoli is produced in Russia, but outside markets are produced in Latvia. I use information from the bottle to populate details and don’t review very often. I have updated Stolichnaya with the information on the most current bottle, which acknowledges the Latvian production of the US market vodka. –Robert, October 2018

Stolichnaya vodka (commonly called Stoli) was a favorite of mine in California. It’s a great vodka for the dollar. It comes straight from Russia, diluted to 40% alcohol by volume with artesian water from 96% grain alcohol. It doesn’t get more authentic than that.

The Shot

The flavor is muted at first but slowly starts to reveal itself as bitter-sweet. The swallow, while smooth, burns slightly and warms on the way down, leaving a bitter taste behind. It’s not a bad flavor, but it certainly isn’t sweet like other vodkas.

The Mixed Drink

The mixer on hand tonight is Red Bull. While drinking, the Stolichnaya complements the bitter undertones in the Red Bull, making the sweet flavors more apparent. Once it’s down, however, the bitter flavors of the Stoli linger momentarily. After knocking back a drink, the aftertaste becomes invisible.

Opinions

Unfortunately, I didn’t take opinions on Stoli. We were all busy having fun. I can say that Stoli is a a great vodka to take to parties. Not only is it a known brand, it’s a great vodka for the dollar. It’s smooth, tastes good, and mixes well.

Rated 3 out of 5.

Robert Brodrecht

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By KRV

    No Rating

    I am from India, Last time while i was in US I was ga ga about Grey Goose vodka. Grey goose is very hard to find in India and it needs some recommendation or Vitamin M to get Grey goose. I had Grey goose for about 40$ and enjoyed to the last drop of it.

    Today I am in UK exactly after 5 years of my last visit in US. I took Grey Goose from the Wait-rose market, then thought why not try different brand, took Absolute I recalled my past experience and it was hell. Then took the Stoli– I am half bottle done while i type this message. I must admit this is real fun and bang for the buck. I really miss my family and kids, siblings and parents I love them a lot. God bless the world and entire human race. This drink is the best I have ever had and not to forget having the drink all alone. it is 12:43 now IST and 7:13 PM GMT .. god bless who invented alcohol

    KRV

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By J Barnhart

      I know this is an older post but your situation and ability to articulate your feelings and mood after a half bottle of vodka makes to want to say thankyou and you are a good soul. May God travel with you .

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Scott

    5 *****

    I don’t understand the 3/5 rating. I find Stolichnaya to be very clean but with a nice, sweet, somewhat fruity but always pleasant flavor. It has gravitated to being my #1 vodka, edging out Ketel One, which is also wonderful, but much more clean, with much less flavor.

    I think ratings are pretty stupid, actually. We may as well be rating colors. Red? Oh, I give that a 2/5. Blue? I love blue, definitely 5/5. Rating vodkas makes no more sense. Typing sensible reviews is worthwhile, but you can cram your looking-down-my-nose-at-you numbers up your asses.

    Scott

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By James

    4 *****

    I first started drinking Stoli Vodka maybe 30 years ago and while I’m mainly a beer drinker I have begun to imbibe once again in Stoli of late. I have tried many different brands of Vodka including, Grey Goose, Kettle One, Absolut and Smirnoff but Stoli is my favorite; especially for the price. Some connoisseurs may find my Stoli critique unconvincing but I find Stoli to be a great vodka and one that has never let me down with a hangover. Good smooth buzz and keeps me sharp all through the night. Enjoy comrade…

    James

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By An Opinion as Valid as Your Own

    5 *****

    I’ve tried many vodkas, but had not gotten around to trying Stolichnaya until today. I’m not sure why.

    The bottle is a bit ugly. Well not so much the bottle as the labeling. Does it really matter? Of course not. But it’s nice to have a beautiful package to go with a great product.

    I was taken aback with my first shot of Stoli. So smooth. So utterly inoffensive. No weird aftertaste like I get with Smirnoff.

    I really like it. I am impressed.

    An Opinion as Valid as Your Own

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Mikail

      Smirnoff is junk (not Russian) and gives horrible hangover, whereas Stoli makes you wonder if it was watered down the next day (minimal hangover) but careful not to over-do it because of the smoothness.

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By peachykeen

    3 *****

    Good old-fashioned vodka. Iconic middle-shelf stuff, entirely drinkable (I prefer it mixed), and not at all expensive. If your liquor store doesn’t carry this, you should give them odd looks. The price is entirely reasonable, and the variety of flavours (the only flavoured I consider remotely drinkable) is nice to have.

    I can’t say this is a good vodka to drink straight or on the rocks, although I do fairly often when Stoli Elit isn’t present. With a little bit of flavouring, it comes across reasonably well. However, mixed at all, this is one of my go-to vodkas. You can make a fairly strong black or white russian, screwdriver, and many other drinks without suffering.

    If you’re going for flavoured vodkas, this is absolutely the best. I have a few female friends who enjoy Razberi Stoli and tonics, I personally love Blueberi, and most of the other flavours are quite tasty. While not top-shelf vodka (and not pretending to be), this is a good mixer and the only respectable brand offering flavours.

    peachykeen

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Guest

    No Rating

    Its a fake Stolichnaya produced in Latvia. Check out the back label

    Guest

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Kevin White

      A True Story You Will Find Hard To Believe
      September , 1973 , Roger & I , Merchant Marines , caught a ship to Soviet Union ,, Destination , Odessa , Northern part of Black Sea . Freighter filled with grain , just short of a supertanker . Flying a Greek Flag with a compliment of 45 sailors total , The S.S. Connecticut Arrived in port 27 days later . Anchored offshore for 30 days waiting our turn to unload cargo , ( another 31 days , in port with longshoreman working round the clock sucking out the grain , loading it on hoppers and dumped in open train cars that we’re headed north to feed the country . Soviet Union was on the backside of a serious drought at the time and negotiated a trade with Libya for oil that we picked up 3 days after we left port Long story short , 45 seamen drank all the beer on the boat before we got to Odessa . Ship’s assigned soviet Porter , ” Chris ” would bring Jim Beam , Johnny Walker Red or black for 3.50 a fifth .There was no beer available in Soviet Union at that time . The day before we left , Chris took our booze order and asked me why I didn’t order any vodka . My reply was , I don’t like vodka . He insisted I buy some to take back to America cause we had no Russian vodka at that time . He also shocked the hell out of Roger and I when he said , ” It’s only 10 cents a bottle ! ” , so we purchased about 50 cases . When I asked him why it was so cheap , Holding his right hand up , he said ” Horse piss go here , and pointing at his left hand said ” Stolichnaya come here ” . Then he went on to explain just how lightning fast it’s made and that most Soviets of any stature wouldn’t touch the shit . Only people that would drink it was the gutter bums and alchaholics . It was about 6 years later that the salesman from Pepsi negotiated for the first time in that country , a place for their product , Pepsi Cola . everyone prior had failed because of the ruble being worthless outside their borders . So the deal was made , 1 can of Pepsi { 7 cents } for 1 bottle of Stolichnaya . 7 years later , here’s Roger and I in an upscale nightclub in Southern calif , laughing our asses off when the beautiful blond at the bar ordered 5 shots of Stoly at 7.00 a crack ! It’s amazing what great promotions can accomplish !

      Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By STOLI foreva

      It is made in Latvia and its made of best tehnology in the world and old Latvian vodka traditions and not because its made in Russia in some shity soviet style russian zavod ( factory). Russia has a more then anybody else in the world so many vodkas and they are fuckin great. Russian vodka is probably the of the best vodka in the world
      if you don’t like stolichnaya so why you are here????????????? go and drink something else
      northern europe in general is a great place where a great vodkas are made NO !!??

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Cheryl

    5 *****

    I just bought my first bottle of Stoli last week… the taste is
    SMOOTH zero aftertaste in my opinion. I love this stuff. I made several Caesar’s with this stuff and they were superb. I have also taken a liking to just downing a few shots on numerous occasions. I think 🤔 I’m hooked. Looking to try other drinks made with this. Pretty sure I will try some of the flavors as well.

    Cheryl

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By John Bonham

    No Rating

    The Stoli the US market gets is made from Latvian water, and is produced and bottled in Latvia. The same goes for every region in the world except for Benelux and Russia.

    That being said, i’m not sure if this should be listed under “Russia” for its country.

    John Bonham

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By STOLI foreva

      You are absolutely right. Stolichnaya is made in Latvia and probably is one of the best vodka in the world. It’s made in Latvia because of ownership.Russians government neither Russian companies does not have ownership of this vodka.Still is Russian vodka and its best in its class

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By John

    4 *****

    Recently, I tried the new Stoli Salted Caramel flavor, very tasty. Also, if you are in New York, Mari Vanna is a great restaurant serving Russian dishes, and they offer a house selection of vodkas. Maybe a tad overpriced, but also tasted great chilled.

    John

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By loudmouthmoose

    No Rating

    A definite must-have in my liquor cabinet as it is an easily recognized party-mixer. While true vodka connoisseurs may not favor this one for either a mixer or a shooter, it is found at most bars and has never given me a hangover.

    loudmouthmoose

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By AZWolverine

    4 *****

    The best value of the six vodkas I tasted this evening. Smooth, balanced and sweet. In terms of value it beat all the others. Well-done!

    AZWolverine

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By taffyg2003

    3 *****

    Stoli was the fourth vodka in my quest to educate myself about the world of vodka. To this point, I had a new favorite in Tito’s, followed by Ketel One, and finally Grey Goose (as compared in a martini straight up with olives). This time, my wife and I shared two martinis while out to dinner: one with Ketel One and one with Stoli. My impression of Ketel One remained the same as in my previous tasting; smooth, minimally bitter, neutral, and a little oily. By comparison, the Stoli martini had significantly more flavor (a nice bittersweet), was crisper, but was a little less smooth and burned more on swallowing. My wife liked both, and I think actually preferred the martini made with Stoli, but I still preferred the smoother and gentler character of Ketel One.

    I think that Stoli is similar to Grey Goose, but has a stronger flavor that has a little better bittersweet balance. So, to this point in my taste testing experience, I would rank the vodkas that I had tasted starting with my favorite as follows:

    1) Tito’s Handmade 2) Ketel One 3) Stolichnaya 4) Grey Goose

    Next, on to Crystal Head.

    taffyg2003

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By taffyg2003

      I had another Stoli martini straight up with olive about a week ago. I was a bit surprised how relatively harsh it was compared to the likes of Luksusowa, Crystal Head, Zyr, Sobieski, Chopin, and several others that I’ve enjoyed over the last several months. There was even a mild bitterness to the flavor that I’ve not encountered in the better vodkas. For around $20 per fifth, there are certainly several other vodkas of better quality at a similar (or even lower) price.

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Stoli_hands_down9

    5 *****

    After trying a bunch of cheap and some expensive vodka I have to say that Stolichnaya stole my heart, Its great with mixed drinks, the shots burn a little but you get used to it. Its sort of cheap and you can make killer drinks with it. I would definitely recommend this vodka to people who have never tried vodka before or who are just looking to have a good night. It doesn´t give you a hangover and it gives you enough “battery” to dance the night away.

    Stoli_hands_down9

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Robert

      Stoli was my vodka of choice for the three years I lived in LA, CA. It’s a great vodka. I attribute a lot of the bitters to it being a Russian vodka. That would explain the taste vs lack of hangover. I don’t really remember the last time I had Stoli, though. Maybe I should try it again.

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Or

    No Rating

    Hi,

    Is this review about the simplest kind? I can see this is a rather good review, so I want to know if this is the regular (red?) version or the gold-crystal. If this is the regular one, isn’t the gold-crystal better?

    Thanks.

    Or

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Robert

      This is the plain-old Stoli. We haven’t reviewed Stoli Gold. We have reviewed Solti Elit, though.

      Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By lasousa

    4 *****

    Excellent vodka.

    lasousa

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By Josh

    2 *****

    I paid almost $25.00 dollars for a 750 ml bottle of this stuff a few weeks ago, and I must say it’s too expensive for what you get. It mixes well, but it’s just not one of those vodkas you can party with. You will get a hangover if you drink too much.

    Josh

    Reply

  • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By vegasvodkalover

    No Rating

    I do not like Stoli as a vodka. I think no matter the type – flavored or unflavored – it just isn’t that good. They constantly have promotional parties in vegas w free drinks all night of this stuff – and even then – it’s hard to swallow. It just leaves a bad biting taste in the mouth, and is definitely detectable in drinks. Plus it doesn’t give that good of a buzz. It’s just a hype due to the russian name! pick something else =)

    vegasvodkalover

    Reply

    • Stolichnaya (Stoli) Vodka Review By STOLI foreva

      i know one thing you are not a vodka drinker

      Reply

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