The Vodkaphiles Review
Made in: Russia
Distributed/Imported in the US by: BMC Imports
Main raw material: Wheat and rye; wild cranberries.
Expected retail price: $ 25.00
This unique drink is made according to a centuries old recipe by infusing handpicked Wild Cranberries 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 | 17.33 | 20 |
| Appearance/Texture | 17.00 | 20 |
| Taste/Aftertaste | 36.50 | 50 |
| Packaging/Marketing | 7.83 | 10 |
| Totals | 78.67 | 100 |
Jewel of Russia Berry Infusion (Cranberry)
Here are the comments our experts shared on this vodka.
This one is not nearly as successful as the bilberry infusion. It is way too sour and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
Lovely cherry plum appearance. Prominant essence of cranberry with tart cherry, red currant, almost candied fruit.
Syrupy textured true cranberry flavors with some tang, but remains overtly sweet likely due to catalyst for infusion. Finishes pleasantly but is marred by a fresh grain, straw like component.
Package, while mimicking an authentic or heirloom package, is clumsy, bland and does no justice for its content. The pourers are very problematic.
The deep red color is tantalizing and inviting. The fragrance is sweet, fruity and very smooth. There is a fairly smooth and sweet foretaste but a bite in the aftertaste, as might be expected from a liquor made from cranberries. A very strong, authentic flavor that comes from the infused nature of the flavoring, but not all of cranberry's tendency toward a medicinal flavor is overcome. The packaging has a nice Old World feel. Lose the pourers.
Very pretty aroma of ripe cranberries, cherries, raspberries and spice. Lovely appearance, clear, rich reddish color. Creamy, full, velvety and smooth. Sweet ripe cranberries, cherries, raspberries and spice. Again good balance between ripe fruit, fruit acidity and distillate. A bit too sweet for me but less sweet than bilberry Vodka. Would most likely prefer over ice with a twist.
I found this less appealing than the Wild Bilberry. It was syrupy and too sweet with no kick.
A great apertif, but not a traditional vodka.
Reviews of Jewel of Russia Berry Infusion (Cranberry) 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.