Stoli Group has announced Elit Vodka has received Beverage Testing Institute’s (BTI) prestigious 2020 Best Vodka award, making the brand a nine-time winner.

Stoli Elit featured in our Smoothest Vodka Brands to try in 2021 list and is made using a traditional “freeze filtration” method inspired by the Russian practice of leaving casks out in the freezing conditions to age and mature during distillation.

“Working to bring the Elit vision alive, agronomist Evgeny Blashkov and master blender Ginta Muižniece, created an ultra-premium spirit rooted in provenance, driven by terroir, elevated by the highest standards and a unique proprietary freeze filtration process,” said Elit Global Brand Leader, Kathryn Walters.

According to BTI, winners are determined through a competitive process where “all products were blindly evaluated by a panel of trade buyers and category experts using custom BTI software and their proprietary Cornell University co-developed methodology. As the only ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) conforming wine, beer and spirits competition, BTI scores and reviews have proven to be the most trustworthy and consistent in the industry.”

This win places Elit in an esteemed category as a nine-time winner, receiving the ratings of “Superlative 97/100” in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

BTI described Elit by the following qualities: “Clear color. Aromas of sweet mascarpone, nut brittle, and flint with a satiny, crisp, dry light body and a smooth, buoyant lemon custard and a hint of herbs and pepper finish. An outstanding silky-soft vodka for martinis.”

Stoli Elit also has two amazing ultra-luxury Elit versions featuring pristine water sourced from The Andes and a Kiwi glacier.

The Elit Pristine Water Series is limited to 250 bottles (Andean) and 300 (New Zealand) and represents the most expensive vodka brand ever crafted at $3,600 per bottle.