San Francisco, CA
The Vodka Of The Year According To The San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Refreshing Lemon Drop Martini with a Garnish
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The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has released the inaugural list of its 2024 Vodkas of the Year. Chopin Potato Vodka was chosen the Vodka of the Year. Below is a brief description and tasting notes of the SFWSC’s ten Vodkas of the Year.
These vodkas were Double Gold medalists at the SFWSC and received Gold Medals in at least four other major international spirit competitions. They are among the world’s best, offering diverse aroma and flavor profiles and range from established legacy brands to new offerings from craft producers. All of them are widely available and reasonably priced.
Global Vodka Trends
The global vodka market remained relatively stable in 2024 compared to 2023. According to Euromonitor International, vodka sales were expected to be 338.4 million cases by the end of 2024, a slight decrease from 338.44 million cases in 2023.
Despite this marginal decline in volume, the value of vodka sales experienced growth, increasing from $78.2 billion in 2023 to $79.4 billion in 2024. Sales in 2025 are projected to rise to $82.6 billion by 2025.
Economy and premium brands showed the most significant revenue increases as a combination of economic headwinds drove consumers to low-priced options while continued premiumization drove other consumers towards higher-priced expressions. The demand for premium vodka expressions seemed particularly prevalent among millennials and Gen Z consumers.
Flavored vodkas continued to outperform neutral expressions and are expected to surpass them in volume by 2025 or 2026. Flavored vodka volumes are growing around 6.5% while volume of neutral (unflavored) vodka expressions posted slight declines in 2024.
Botanical vodkas, those flavored with botanicals rather than artificial flavorings, are the fastest growing segment of the vodka market, albeit from a relatively small base. The emergence of botanical vodkas is creating a gin-like vodka category which differs from gin only in the prominence of juniper flavors and is often difficult to distinguish from “contemporary gins” that eschew a prominent juniper flavor.
Overall, while global vodka sales volume remained relatively steady with only a slight decline in 2024, the value of sales increased, indicating the trend towards premiumization in the vodka market is continuing.
Two vodka in shot glasses space
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SFWSC Vodka of the Year
These vodkas have been recognized with some of the most significant awards in the industry, including the Double Gold Medal from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. These accolades are a testament to their exceptional quality and craftsmanship.
Grey Goose Vodka, Grey Goose Distillery, France
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold, Beverage Testing Institute: Gold, New York International Spirits Competition: Gold
Silky and smooth, Grey Goose features flavors of citrus zest and almond and a creamy mouthfeel, this vodka has a clean and elegant finish, making it a benchmark for luxury vodkas.
Belvedere Vodka, Polmos Żyrardów, Poland
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold
Belvedere is rich and full-bodied, with notes of vanilla and rye spice and a creamy, velvety texture. The finish is long, smooth, and subtly peppery.
Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Fifth Generation Inc., USA
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold, World Spirits Awards: Gold, New York International Spirits Competition: Gold
Corn sweetness with a creamy texture, subtle notes of bread, and a clean, slightly sweet finish. Tito’s Vodka is versatile for cocktails or sipping neat and pairs well with [specific food or mixers].
Vodka cocktails garnished with lemon, blueberries, and rosemary
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Absolut Elyx, The Absolut Company, Sweden
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold
Absolut Elyx is luxuriously smooth and silky with fresh grain flavors, subtle vanilla, and hints of fruit. The finish is crisp, elegant, and refined.
Cîroc Vodka, Distillerie de Chevanceaux, France
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold
Bright and crisp, with light grape, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors, the finish is clean, refreshing, and slightly sweet.
Stolichnaya Elit, Latvijas Balzams, Latvia
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold
Stolichnaya is ultra-smooth with a creamy mouthfeel and flavors of marshmallow, citrus zest, and a subtle peppery finish.
Caviar on a cracker with a glass of vodka makes a classic pairing.
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Reyka Vodka, William Grant & Sons, Iceland
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold
Clean and crisp with a soft minerality, notes of vanilla, and a hint of citrus. The finish is smooth and refreshing, with a slightly earthy undertone.
Chopin Potato Vodka, Polmos Siedlce, Poland
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, Beverage Testing Institute: Gold
Chosen as the Vodka of the Year, Chopin Potato Vodka offers a complex and nuanced aroma and taste profile.
It is full-bodied and creamy with earthy undertones, hints of vanilla, and a touch of sweetness. The finish is rich and smooth.
Crystal Head Vodka, Globefill Inc., Canada
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, New York International Spirits Competition: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold
Bright and clean with subtle notes of vanilla, peach, and soft grains. The finish is crisp and refreshing.
Black Cow Vodka, Black Cow Distillery, England
San Francisco World Spirits Competition: Double Gold, IWSC: Gold, World Vodka Awards: Gold, International Spirits Challenge: Gold, New York International Spirits Competition: Gold
It is smooth and creamy, with hints of vanilla, coconut, and soft sweetness from its milk-based distillation process. The finish is clean and slightly sweet.
These vodkas represent some of the finest in the world, having won the coveted Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and multiple other gold medals from prestigious international competitions. Each of these vodkas demonstrates exceptional quality and craftsmanship, presenting a broad range of aroma and flavor profiles. Each is an outstanding vodka and worth trying!
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.
The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.
Community heartbroken
Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.
“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.
“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.
The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.
Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.
Traffic intensifies
Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.
“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”
District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.
“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.
On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.
“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.
Sometimes life requires an easy hang, without the need for reservations and dressing up, and preferably with food that’s easy to rally folks behind. The newish Hamburguesa Bar is just such a place, opening in December 2025 and serving a tight food menu of smash and tavern burgers (made with beef ground in-house), along with hand-cut duck fat fries, poutine, and Caesar salad. The best part? Nothing here costs more than $20. Seriously, this spot has so much going for it, including solid cocktails and boozy shakes. It’s become a homing beacon for post-work hangs, judging by a recent weekday crowd.
Hamburguesa Bar’s drinks are the epitome of unfussy: Cocktail standards, four beers on tap, two choices of wine (red or white), boozy and non-boozy shakes, plus 21 beers by the can or bottle. Standards on the cocktail menu are just that, a list of drinks you’ve heard before — such as an Old Fashioned, daiquiri, gin or vodka martini, or Harvey Wallbanger — with no special tinctures or fat-washed liquors to speak of (that we know of, at least). I’m typically split on whether boozy shakes are ever worth it, but the Fruity Pebbles option ($14) makes a convincing case, mixed with a just-right amount of vodka and some cereal bits. (I’ll leave the more adventurous Cinnamon Toast shake made with Fireball to others with more positive experiences with that liquor.)
Downtown and SoMa has a reputation for restaurants closing early, but Hamburguesa Bar keeps later hours, closing at midnight from Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays). It’s also open for lunch at noon during those days, with the exception of Saturdays when it opens at 5 p.m.
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