White Russian

Premium vodka producers go to great lengths to persuade us that location—where you grow your wheat—is everything. According to Croatian producer Akvinta, its use of Italian wheat puts its tipple in the super-premium category. Triple-distilled, Akvinta has a peppery “mouth feel” and a “creamy” finish.

For Roustam Tariko, the Russian whom Forbes magazine says was responsible for turning “middle-class Russians into debt-addicted consumers”, the brand is everything. Tariko dominates the Russian premium vodka market with Russian Standard (above), made from wheat grown in Russia. But he also supplies millions with the means to buy the stuff, at his Russian Standard Bank.