Pearl Vodka
From a small distillery in the woods of Canada comes Pearl Vodka, a light, vodka that will make you wonder what that flavor was that just dashed across your tongue. After being distilled five times this vodka comes on light with a slight bit of burn to the edge of your tongue, but don't let that scare you off because it is followed by a sugary vanilla flavor. When frozen, it tastes good straight or mixed. This is one of those vodkas that go well over ice and maybe a cherry or maybe the cherry is for that pretty by your side. Just look for the white bottle on your vodka shelf and grab this one.

Vodka sales have exploded in the past few years. It seems every country one can think of is now producing this white spirit. Interestingly, so far there haven't been any real trends in terms of what's used to make the vodkas- Mor Vodka of Estonia is made from potatoes, Wodka Wyborowa of Poland is made from rye, and the Canadian Pearl Vodka is distilled from wheat.

Pearl Vodka, (40% Alcohol By Volume) has a retail price of $21-$25. It's distilled from Western Canadian Wheat, and was named Best Vodka by judges at the first San Francisco World Spirits Competition in autumn 2000. Pearl Vodka is relatively new to the American market, being introduced only in 1999.

Pearl Vodka is remarkably smooth. In the mouth it offers notes of caramel, grain and finishes very clean. It is smooth going down and just a touch prickly on the tongue.