Platinum is a luxury product of the Russian Standard series, released a few years after the release of the original Standard in 2001. It is made from wheat that was sown in the fall, wintered under the snow, started to grow again in the next spring and harvested at the end of the summer. Vodka is diluted with water that comes from Lake Laatokka. Compared to the original Russian Standard, Platinum has also been filtered twice through silver. This also gives the silver look on the bottle label. Years ago I saw Platinum on sale in Russia for about €6 (50 cl bottle), but I didn’t take it with me from there. In Estonia, the bottle was on offer for €13.95.

The nose is neutral and very clean. There is no typical solvent aroma, not even when taking a deep breath. Then I feel only a slight tingling sensation in the nose. The taste is soft, slightly sweet and very neutral. I feel only some burning and slight tingling in my throat. But otherwise, the effect of ethanol in the product is not noticeable. When taking a full shot, it of course burns like vodka always, that is maybe impossible to hide. But the burning effect is very short here. There is nothing recognizable in the taste, no grain aroma, which is nicely present in the traditional Standard. Probably the couple of extra filterings through silver removed the last impurities that gave the taste. In the aftertaste there is a hint of something herbal, peppermint or similar. Or maybe it’s more of a figment of the imagination. Platinum is suitable for those who want vodka to be as neutral as possible. I personally more appreciate the aroma from the raw material, whether the product itself is made from grain or carrot. I also tried Platinum in a couple of cocktails, and there was nothing to complain about. However, due to the price, Platinum cannot be recommended for that use. There are dozens of similar and cheaper products on the market that are at least as good for cocktails. In the end, Platinum was a “quite nice” experience, not very memorable or special in any way. If I buy something from the same producer again, it would still be the traditional Standard for sure.

85/100