A Windsor-produced vodka has been voted one of the best in the world.
Polar Ice Vodka Arctic Extreme was voted among the top 10 best at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) and also won Gold at the San Francisco Wine and Spirit Competition.
"None of the American vodkas have won, none of the big brand names that you would be more familiar with, so we're really proud that this Canadian Vodka has taken home such a prestigious international recognition," says Amy Lieu, Brand Manager for Polar Ice Vodka for Corby Spirits and Wine.
The Arctic Extreme Vodka is a quadruple distilled, three-time filtered vodka produced at Corby's Hiram Walker and Sons Distillery in Windsor.
Liu says vodka has a reputation as a neutral spirit, but that's not the case with their product.
"We try to have a unique pallet to it so, this one for example, there's a bit of a chocolate, walnut, it honestly comes down to the grain that you use," she says. "We use Canadian grains and the distilling and filtration process to get that specific palate."
Liu hopes the win gets a few people interested in the process of making vodka here in Windsor.
"Vodka doesn't get as much prestige as you do with whiskey where people are really interested in the process, but, when it comes to phenomenal vodka, throughout the world there's some awesome unique filtration processes that you can really learn when you go through a distillery," she says.
According to Lui, Polar Ice Vodka Arctic Extreme has been entered in four competitions this year and has won double gold every time.
— With files from AM800's Patty Handysides & Gord Bacon