Smirnoff Vodka (1 L)

Smirnoff No. 21 traces its lineage to Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov, who established his Moscow distillery in 1864 and secured the title of Official Purveyor to the Russian Imperial Court — a commercial credential that shaped the brand's global trajectory after the recipe was smuggled out of post-revolutionary Russia and re-established in the West.

Produced today at multiple licensed facilities worldwide, No. 21 is made from grain neutral spirit subjected to triple distillation, then passed through seven columns of charcoal filtration — a process designed to strip congeners and deliver a deliberately neutral, clean-cut profile. Bottled at 40% ABV, it is not chill-filtered in the conventional sense; the charcoal process itself is the primary clarification method.

What distinguishes No. 21 within the mass-market vodka segment is the charcoal filtration depth: seven stages is above the category norm, producing a texture that is notably soft on the palate with minimal finish heat. As a non-vintage, non-terroir spirit, drinking window is immediate upon purchase.