Altamura Vodka 70cl / 43%

Altamura Vodka is a premium wheat vodka made from ancient grain varieties grown around the town of Altamura in Apulia, southern Italy, bottled at 43% ABV in a 70cl bottle. The producer presents it as the first vodka distilled entirely from Altamura's ancient wheat, a grain the town is better known for using in its bread. Rather than chasing total neutrality, this ancient grain wheat vodka keeps a rounded, slightly oily texture and a savoury cereal note. It suits drinkers who like to sip vodka slowly over ice and taste the grain, and it gives a classic Martini more body than a lighter spirit would.

Altamura Vodka tasting notes

• Nose: Warm bread crust and toasted cereal, lifted by a faint trace of lemon zest.
• Palate: Rounded and slightly oily, with soft wheat sweetness, white pepper and a hint of almond.
• Finish: Medium-long and warming, drying gently to cracked pepper and clean grain.

Poured cool, the spirit clings to the glass and feels fuller in the mouth than a light, heavily filtered vodka.

How to drink Altamura Vodka

Keep the bottle in the fridge rather than the freezer, because deep cold mutes the wheat character. Pour 40 ml over a single large ice cube in a rocks glass, or serve it neat at fridge temperature in a small tulip glass. Italian antipasti make natural partners: green olives, taralli, burrata and thin slices of prosciutto all pick up the bready, peppery notes.

Altamura Vodka cocktails

A spirit with this much grain character shines in short, spirit-forward drinks.

• Altamura Vodka Martini: stir 60 ml Altamura with 10 ml dry vermouth over ice for about 30 seconds, strain into a chilled coupe and finish with a lemon twist.
• Vodka Negroni: stir 30 ml Altamura, 30 ml Campari and 30 ml sweet vermouth over ice, then strain over a fresh large cube and add an orange slice.

How it compares

Set beside Fair Quinoa Vodka, which is distilled from Bolivian quinoa and bottled at 40%, Altamura is grainier and more savoury, while Fair leans towards a silky, delicate sweetness. Helix 7 Vodka also starts from wheat, in its case French wheat from the Champagne region, but at 37.5% it drinks lighter and creamier. Altamura is the one to choose for body and a peppery finish.

Good to know

The 70cl bottle makes a considered premium vodka gift for anyone who enjoys Italian food or likes comparing vodkas made from different grains. Wodka Company sends Altamura Vodka 70cl to addresses across the UK from its London base.