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Belvedere Vodka Price, Sizes & Buying Guide

Charl Joost
Last Updated: February 25th, 2023

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Belvedere Vodka, with its philosophy, “Made with Nature, Polish Rye, purified water and distilled by fire”, is a premium Vodka manufactured by Polmos Żyrardów in a 110-year-old distillery located in the town of Żyrardów in Poland.

It is owned by the world-renowned luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Henness (LVMH), it is one of the world’s top brands of Vodkas. It is much sought-after by the purists.

For Belvedere Vodka to qualify for the title of a super-premium-graded Polska Wódka (Polish Vodka), the vodka must be produced using specific Polish grains and water. Here enters a variety of the Polish Dankowskie Zlote Rye, an ancient hardy grain.

This grain, used in all Polish Belvedere Vodka production is sourced in Poland, from several dedicated farming facilities.

On its own, the grain produces an unparalleled flavor, particularly important whereby, in Polish law, no other additives or sugars are permitted in the process.

Complementing the use of this grain in the production process is naturally purified groundwater drawn from the original well located on the grounds of the Polmos Żyrardów distillery.

Vodka, by the way, means “little water” in Polish.

The fire, in their philosophy, is a reference to the heat required in the distillation process where Belvedere uses a quadruple distillation technique to manufacture this fine, super-premium Vodka.

History of Belvedere Vodka

history of belvedere vodka 

Vodka making is a tradition in Poland that goes back over 600 years to the year 1405 when the first mention of Vodka can be traced. Some scholars believe it could have originated as early as the 8th Century but evidence of this effect is minimal.

The original Distillery was established in Żyrardów in 1910 and was owned by Dawid and Mejer Pine. These two brothers, Jewish businessmen, decided to sell the distillery early in the 1930s.

Any forebodings they may have had which inclined them to sell were born out in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, the event which started World War Two.

When the war ended in 1945, further challenges arrived in the form of the Russian Communist regime who had occupied Poland after driving out the Germans.

All distilleries were then nationalized (collectivized), and all were named Polska followed by the town’s name. Hence “Polska  Żyrardów”.

Liberated from the dead hand of Communism in 1989, free enterprise in Poland was relaunched. The old Polska Zvardow distillery, with a vision for a premium Vodka, began producing Belvedere Vodka in 1993, with the first bottles coming off the production line in 1994.

The Belvedere Brand name is drawn from the historic Belweder Palace in Warsaw. This is the official residence of the Polish Head of state.

Originally Built in 1643 as a mansion for the Polish aristocrat, Crown Great Hetman Stanislaw Koniecpolski.

This fine example of Neoclassical architecture has undergone numerous rebuilds and renovations over the years, with the work always overseen by renowned architects.

Translated from Polish, Belweder means, “beautiful to see” and to this day it remains an elegant, charming Palace poised high above beautifully landscaped gardens

International Expansion

international expansion

Already a success in Poland, the Belvedere product was made available in the USA in 1996 through the efforts of an American Liquor entrepreneur by the name of Edward J Phillips.

Philips had been toying with the idea of a premium Vodka to rival the already popular Absolut Vodka brand and his search took him to Poland.

After some time, he settled on the Belvedere brand. In 1994 he formed a company called The Millennium Import Company and was eventually awarded the sole USA marketing rights to the Belvedere Brand of Vodka by the Polish government.

To appeal to the American market, Philips planned for a unique style bottle that was developed by the renowned French glass manufacturer, Saint-Gobain Glass.

Unsurprisingly the beautiful Belwede palace is featured on this tall, frosted, cleverly designed bottle.

On the one side of the bottle is an acid etch of the building, when viewed from a clear window on the opposite side of the bottle the Palace is magnified by the contents and magically framed by snow-covered branches.

The new product was eventually launched in the USA in 1996 and proved Philip’s astuteness in predicting that the market was ready for a new premium Vodka product. Sales climbed.

In Furthering the interests of Millennium, they went on to assist the Polmos Żyrardów distillery to upgrade to a three-column distillation process, further improving the quality.

Inevitably the rapidly soaring sales of Belvedere Vodka came to the attention of the giant Louis Vuitton Moët Henness (LVMH) which is a company always on the lookout for premium brands to add to its stable.

In 2002 LVMH acquired a 40 % stake In the Millennium Import Company and, In 2005, they purchased all the rights, becoming 100 % LVMH owned.

In a nightmare legal twist to the tail, Millennium Import LLC, with full rights to the Belvedere brand name in Europe found that the USA rights to the Belvedere trademark were owned by the Belvedere Winery, a US company based in  Healdsburg, California.

Negotiations between the two companies ensued, and, presumably, for a respectable sum, Millennium acquired a license from Belvedere Winery to use the name in the USA.

Further Developments for Belvedere

bottle of belvedere vodka

In a surprise move in 2005, the founder of the Belvedere Winery announced that they would not be renewing the Millennium license to use the brand name in the USA. Instead, they would be launching their own range of spirits, under the Belvedere name.

Understandably, Millennium was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

They had expended enormous amounts of time, money, and resources in building the brand in the USA and now were denied the use of the well-known brand name they had nurtured.

Left with no viable alternative, they continued to trade using the Belvedere Vodka brand name.

However, in 2007 Belvedere Winery succeeded in legal action against Millennium for breach of trademark rights, and Millennium was ordered by the courts to cease and desist in using the trademarked name.

With no other options available to them, Millennium negotiated with Belvedere Wineries to purchase the trademark outright. An agreement was reached and for an undisclosed but presumably very large sum, the trademark changed hands.

Belvedere Wineries changed its name and Belvedere Vodka, the new owners of the trademark, resumed sales in America.

Belvedere Vodka Price, Variations & Sizes

belvedere vodka prices and variations

Prices listed below are approximate and all products are 80 proof in alcohol content (40 %  Alcohol by Volume/ABV)

Type Size Price
Belvedere Vodka 750 ml $27.99
Belvedere Vodka 1 L $44.99
Belvedere Vodka 75 L $44.99
Belvedere Unfiltered 750 ml $39.99
Belvedere Intense 750 ml $39.99
Belvedere Ginger Zest 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Peach Nectar 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Wild Berry 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Mango Passion 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Pink Grapefruit 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Citrus 750 ml $29.99
Belvedere Lemon Tea 750 ml $29.99

Alternatives/Comparisons to Belvedere Vodka

Sometimes known as Craft Vodkas, there are several brands that compete favorably with Belvedere, such as:

Type Size Price
Fair Quinoa 750 ml $32.99
Tito’s Handmade Vodka 750 ml $20.99
Absolut vodka 750 ml $20.99
Van Gogh 750 ml $25.99
Grey Goose 750 ml $31.99
Grey Goose Ducasse 750 ml $99.99
Ketel One 750 ml $30.99
Saverglass Diamond Standard 750 ml $79.99

How To Drink Belvedere Vodka

how to drink belvedere vodka

Vodka is a distilled spirit that is mostly neutral in taste and is often consumed “straight” to get the most flavor possible. One popular method is to sip the beverage, at room temperature from a glass tumbler.

Its neutral taste also lends itself perfectly to being the alcohol of choice in Martinis and Cocktails, with the only limitations on ingredients being one’s imagination.

Here are two little cocktail appetizers:

Belvedere Aromatic Soda

  • 50 ml Belvedere Vodka
  • 150ml Soda water
  • A couple of dashes of Angostura Bitters
  • Garnished with an orange wedge and mint
  • Served on ice In a highball glass

Belvedere Bitter Orange Soda

  • 50 ml Belvedere Vodka
  • 150ml Soda water
  • A couple of dashes of Orange Bitters
  • Garnished with an orange wedge and mint
  • Served on ice In a highball glass

Interesting Facts & Myths

In 2012, in an ill-conceived marketing campaign, Belvedere Vodka posted an image on their Twitter and Facebook pages of a man depicted as playfully restraining a woman who appeared to be trying to escape his unwanted attention.

Accompanying the image was the slogan, “Unlike Some People, Belvedere Always Goes Down Smoothly”.

The image only appeared for some 45 minutes before it was withdrawn, but it was long enough for Belvedere to be severely taken to task for what was alleged to be a sales strategy making light of rape.

Their President, Charles Gibb, had to issue a formal apology for the gaff.

Adding to their woes, the female in the image, an actress by the name of Alicyn Packard, had not granted permission for Belvedere to use her picture. She successfully instituted a lawsuit against them, which was eventually settled out of court.

In May 2014, Eurofins, a French Scientific testing group of laboratories, based in Luxembourg, was commissioned by Swiss TV RT to test a Belvedere Vodka.

The results indicated the presence of sugar cane or corn whereas Belvedere’s labeling and the Polska Wódka manufacturing dictum specify the use of rye alcohol only.

In 2015, Belvedere Vodka was chosen as the official Vodka brand for the James Bond film, Spectre. (This was the 24 the James Bond film in the series)

Belvedere Vodka entered into a partnership featuring the well-known R&B rapper, Usher, to release a limited edition, especially branded bottle of Vodka, called Product Red.

A charity organization, the Global Fund, which fights HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis across the world, would receive 50% of the profits from sales.

In the brand’s 2016 campaign John Legend was featured as a part of Belvedere’s ongoing commitment to Product Red to donate to the Global Fund. These limited-edition bottles were designed by Esther Mahlangu, who was the first artist to replicate the traditional African Ndebele style of mural painting onto canvas.

In July 2017, The International Spirits Challenge, which is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe, named Belvedere the Vodka Producer of the Year for the third year running.

Belvedere Vodka’s brand flavored variations are produced by blending the pure spirit with a macerated fruit mash, which is then distilled at a low temperature to form a macerate concentrate.

The concentrated mixture is then cut to the correct strength using the Distilleries own groundwater supply.

About The Author

Charl Joost

Charl is a trainer, public speaker, and professional writer. While he has been coached to niche down, he has many passions. These include golf, gardening, technology, and a decent cup of coffee or two. Charl loves to learn about new products and tries everything he writes about.

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