16th May, 2014 by Amy Hopkins

While the big players continue to dominate the global vodka scene, there is a host of craft distilleries driving innovation in the category.

Bing, celebrity endorsements and nightclubs may be among the first things that all spring to mind when vodka is mentioned, though the category’s craft movement which is expanding across the globe is rapidly altering restricting perspectives.

From potato to wheat, sugar cane to grape, different modes of vodka creation are being explored by pioneering craft distillers.

However, the “craft” tag is itself a hotly debated point of contention since it has no clear definition. As large multinationals attempt to cash in on the burgeoning craft trend and the terms “authentic” and “artisanal” are increasingly adopted for marketing purposes, what does it take to be classed as a craft vodka?

For the American Distillers Institute (ADI), which awarded some of the vodka brands on this list, craft spirits are the “products of an independently-owned distillery with maximum annual sales of 52,000 cases where the product is physically distilled and bottled on-site”.

Yet, whatever definition is largely accepted, it’s clear that vodka brands which are authentic, independent and creative, are chipping away at widespread prejudice the category is all-to-often subject to,

Click through the the following pages to see our pick of the top 10 craft vodka brands.

If you think we’ve missed a worthy choice, let us know by leaving a comment below.