42 Below top in British vodka test

A New Zealand vodka has tickled the tastebuds of British drinkers, coming out tops in a blind taste test by a consumer rights magazine.

42 Below topped a taste test of 13 premium vodka brands conducted by Britain's Which? magazine, the sister publication of New Zealand's Consumer magazine. Other brands tested included Russia's Stolichnaya, Finland's Finlandia and Sweden's Absolut Blue.

According to Consumer's website, the British tasters found 42 Below complex and smooth, noting initial flavours of butterscotch and aniseed, with a spicy aftertaste.

42 Below chief executive Geoff Ross said the brand already had a strong reputation in Britain and was stocked by large department stores such as Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and was the house vodka at London's Ritz Hotel.