Notes: One of the more amusing (in a black humored kind of way) vodkas to hit the market.With all the celebrity vodkas out there (Trump Vodka, Hendrix Vodka, etc.) and all the numerous endorsement and placement deals out there General Mikhail Kalashnikov, in a effort to be known for something positive and promoting friendship, has thrown his hat in the ring (certainly has purer motives than Donald Trump). See the YouTube video here .

Produced at a state distillery and given the “luxe” (type 3) designation of the highest grade of vodka by their government. The proof (42) is Armenskaya Krepost – Army Strength – this was formerly a state secret.This was to foil counterfeiting or passing off inferior vodka. If it didn’t check out to 42 proof it wasn’t Kalashnikov Vodka.

Appearance: Crystal clear, no sediment whatsoever. Limpid shining pool in the glass. On swirling, it leaves a thin clear coat on the inside of the glass with long thin legs. Wonderful bright appearance.

First Impression: Alcohol and grain, vanilla,almost creamy texture to the smell. No trace of off-notes, or the smell of rubbing alcohol that many other vodkas suffer from.

Taste: Velvety grain body glide past the tongue nipping at it with the alcohol edge and sweetish lingering finish. Slight sweetness with the higher notes from a good wheat grain. Slightly oily and sweet thick body. Probably mellowed with some vanilla, glycerin, and sweetened with some sugar, I suspect, although frankly a lot of vodka is these days.

Drinks:  Martini* was excellent (with olive or twist). All the other drinks benefited from the smoothness of this vodka.

*Use Noilly Prat and  keep the vermouth refrigerated after opening for the best taste.

Final Thoughts: The General being a brilliant engineer, I strongly suspect he engineered this vodka. It does not taste or feel like a minimalist Russian vodka, but  a highly tweaked base spirit made so as to be more mellow and more for ease of consumption than anything else. It rather closely follows the profiles of Grey Goose and a number of other vodkas that are made to taste that way. Less money than either Stoli or the Avian Fashion Victim Vodka, with more depth, complexity, and smoothness while retaining flavor. While I do not like the style as much as others personally, It is an excellent and cheap vodka for what it is.

Bottle: Clear blown glass with a see-through portrait of Mikhail Kalashnikov (in younger years) and as its name might suggest, the bottle is in the shape of a M44 7.62×79 Cartridge at least in terms of the bottom of the bottle which has a rimless extraction shape on the bottom of the bottle (like the bottom of a bullet cartridge to the non gun aficionados out there). Not to be confused with Red Army Vodka which is even closer in shape but different color and construction. Certainly stands out from all the other vodka bottles out there! What the hell, Buy a Kalashnikov for World Peace.

Website: http://www.aikollc.com  for this vodka and many others.
Fast loading, in English, with lots of photos of hand blown brandy bottles, but a bit light on information as to what is in them.

or

http://www.kalashnikovvodka.com for a guide on decoding all the hallmarks on the bottle.