Nikolai (vodka)
Encyclopedia
Nikolai is a brand of vodka
Vodka
Vodka , is a distilled beverage. It is composed primarily of water and ethanol with traces of impurities and flavorings. Vodka is made by the distillation of fermented substances such as grains, potatoes, or sometimes fruits....

 on the market in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The brand was originally launched and developed by Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...

, and has existed since at least 1963. The Nikolai brand is currently owned and produced by the Sazerac Company
Sazerac Company
The Sazerac Company is a large privately held and family-operated alcoholic beverages company with headquarters in Metairie, Louisiana.It owns and produces a large and diversified portfolio of beverage brands, and it owns and operates a number of distilling companies...

, which purchased the brand rights from Seagram in 1989 (along with 16 other product lines). The sale was preceded by an announcement in late 1988 by Seagram that it had decided to sell the brand. However, the brand web site says that the brand was purchased in 1987.

The Nikolai brand is available in 80, 90, and 100 proof bottlings.

The Nikolai brand has been marketed primarily as a value-oriented brand, advertised as being priced very reasonably while tasting like more expensive vodka. The brand web site says that the brand is produced using a unique proprietary distillation technique and a special recipe to yield low congener vodka, and that the Sazerac Company has been faithfully adhering to Seagram's original formula for its production process. The Sazerac Company classifies its vodka brand offerings into three categories: "super premium", "premium", and "standard". Nikolai is classified in the "standard" brand category. The company says that the 90 and 100 proof bottlings are "best in class and among the largest-selling high-proof vodkas on the market."

Bob Emmons, more well-known for his reviews of Tequila
Tequila
Tequila is a spirit made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, northwest of Guadalajara, and in the highlands of the western Mexican state of Jalisco....

, has described Nikolai 80 proof as having "few flavors other than alcohol and a light burn".

External links

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