Finlandia Vodka Review

This Finnish bottle was the first Scandinavian vodka to be imported into the U.S. in the 1970s. Overall, our reviewers find Finlandia Vodka to represent a great value for mixing into simple cocktails like a Moscow Mule or Vodka Collins. They praise the rich and creamy mouthfeel but find the finish slightly bitter, which may make it unpleasant for sipping solo.

Our Review

Our reviewers unanimously find this vodka to represent a great value as a mixing vodka. While they praise its rich and creamy mouthfeel, the tasting panel is divided on its merits as a sipping spirit. 

“[This is a] textbook vodka at a terrific price,” says Joaquín Simó. “Creamy and rich, this vodka drinks way above its price point.”

“[This distillate] is a bit harsh on the palate and is not my go-to for the category,” says LP O’Brien.

Julie Reiner finds that the slightly alkaline finish makes it unsuitable for sipping.

Our reviewers generally offer favorable notes of this vodka’s nose and palate. 

Reiner and Simó both find the nose “very clean,” and praise the palate’s mouthfeel, which they characterize as rich, creamy, and oily. O’Brien describes the nose as “herbaceous” and detects notes of white pepper and marzipan on the palate. 

The finish is less pleasant, according to both Reiner and Simó.

“Faint but unmistakable metallic notes are detected late, the only flaw in an otherwise solid distillate,” says Simó.

Reiner notes a “bitter, alkaline metallic note on the finish that is unappealing, and that really stays with you.” 

Our reviewers all stress this spirit’s fantastic value for mixing, though they have differing opinions on its best uses. 

“This is a versatile spirit,” says Simó. “On its own, it can hold up neat, chilled, frozen, or on the rocks. It works great with club soda, which amplifies the warm barley notes. [It also] holds up just fine in classic Vodka Sours, highballs, and Martinis.” 

Reiner's opinion was more measured.

“Finlandia would be best suited for cocktails that have strong modifiers or syrups so that the finish is overpowered by other flavors, such as a Moscow Mule or Vodka Bramble,” she says. 

O’Brien recommends serving this spirit in “classic long beverages such as a Collins.” 

Production

Finlandia Vodka is said to be fermented and distilled with six-row Suomi barley at the Koskenkorva distillery, located in a Finnish village of the same name. A “continuous multi-pressure distillation” process occurs in seven stainless distillation columns, including three atmospheric columns, one pressurized column, and three that operate under a slight vacuum. 

The spirit is then transported to the historic Rajamäki distillery, where it is blended with glacial water from nearby springs before bottling. 

History

Finlandia’s original distillery in Rajamäki, Finland was founded in 1888 by Dr. Justin Wilhelm. State-owned alcohol company Alko purchased Finlandia in 1970, and soon after, it became the first Nordic vodka to be imported into the U.S. 

Since 1994, with the launch of Finlandia Cranberry, the brand has also produced flavored expressions such as mango, grapefruit, and black currant.

Global company Brown-Forman acquired 45% of Finlandia from Altia Corp. (formerly part of Alko) in 2000, and purchased the remaining share in 2004. Coca-Cola HBC agreed to purchase the brand for $220 million in June 2023. 

–Written and edited by Audrey Morgan