The vodka renaissance: Fred Siggins on how Australian vodka producers are reinventing the classic spirit

I first came to truly appreciate vodka on a trip to Moscow in 2014. My first night there, too tired from the long transit to go exploring, I hit up a nearby convenience store seeking sustenance. There was an entire aisle dedicated to pickled things, and another entire aisle of vodka. So when in Moscow, I did as the Muscovites do, and made a meal of pickles, tinned fish and vodka straight from the bottle.

In the heartland of vodka, the preferred style is clean, crisp and neutral, the good stuff suffering no hint of alcohol volatility despite being nearly pure ethanol diluted with water. That smooth, refined liquor was an absolutely perfect palate cleanser between mouthfuls of oily fish and vinegary pickle, and the entire purpose of the spirit became clear to me in an instant. I’ve been a big fan ever since, and keep a bottle in the freezer at all times in case a cold winter night should call for pickles and smoked fish, washed down with liquid silk.

While vodka is often dismissed by “serious” spirits aficionados, it’s still by far one of the most popular spirits in the world, and in 2025 is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance both internationally and here in Australia, where craft producers are interpreting the spirit through a local lens. There’s now a huge range of quality Aussie vodkas on the market – from the clean and crisp to the bold and oily to the wildly imaginative in ways never conceived of in Europe, many at very competitive prices.

sHalliday Tasting Team member Fred Siggins.

Never Never Distilling Co in the Adelaide Hills is known first and foremost as a gin producer. But with a bevy of gin awards now under its belt, Never Never is getting ready to launch its first vodka in the coming days. "Over the last eight years we've relied on texture to build some of the best examples of Australian gin,” says Never Never co-founder Sean Baxter. “We saw vodka as an incredible challenge: how do you innovate in a category that has seen every single concept thrown at 'neutrality' and every marketing angle explored when defining what 'smooth' actually means?” he says. “We saw texture as the last great unexplored concept in one of the world's most popular spirit categories."

With Never Never’s new vodka, that texture is there in spades, making it the perfect choice for a martini. With a clean, sweet nose of vanilla and lemon curd and a silky palate with an almost olive brine minerality on the finish, this is a vodka that would make Rasputin proud. Never Never’s Signature Vodka joins other Aussie products like Lost Phoenix Pot Distilled Vodka and Wild Dog Vodka from Blue Mountains Gin Company doing an impressive job in the classic style most often associated with premium brands like Grey Goose and Stolichnya.

But this is Australia, and we’re not ones to simply replicate what others do. As well as the traditional, neutral styles produced locally, there’s also a whole world of flavour and experimentation the Europeans would never dream of. Take, for example, Hartshorn from Tasmania, made from a distillate of fermented sheep’s whey rather than grains. While it might sound totally left field, it’s also delicious, with slightly lactic notes of good yoghurt and a texture that has to be experienced to be believed.

Australian vodka from Hartshorn Distillery and Never Never Distilling Co.

There’s also products like the vodka from whisky producer Spring Bay, which adds unaged malt spirit to showcase the character of Tasmanian barley. The result is a sort of vodka/poiteen hybrid that’s perfect for drinkers who want a clear spirit with a bit more complexity and grunt but without going full moonshine.

And of course we can’t forget flavoured vodkas. While the '90s and 2000s saw an explosion of stomach-turning novelty vodka flavours like “birthday cake” and “smoked salmon” – I’m looking at you US – Australia now sports quality flavoured vodkas that are both unique and delicious. Take, for example, the Pavlova Vodka from Old Young’s Distillery in Perth, a perennial favourite at local spirits competitions with notes of vanilla and fresh strawberry, or Autumn Butter Vodka from 666 in Tasmania, made with real Tassie butter for a salty, textural delight that works brilliantly in an espresso martini.

At The Catfish, the pub in Melbourne’s trendy Fitzroy neighbourhood where I work some evenings, we’ve recently switched from an imported vodka to a local brand as our house pour for basic mixed drinks. “It's always been our ideal to support local and independent,” says manager Jaine Eira, “but particularly in the post-covid climate we need to be very careful with costs. Recently, local distilleries are increasingly willing to come to the table on pricing, and the quality is there, so it works for both parties. Plus we have real relationships with these distilleries, which is always preferable to dealing with faceless corporations.”

Na Zdrowie to that.

Top image credit: Never Never Distilling Co

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