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There are a number of vodkas on the market every bit as luxurious as those that cost significantly more. How they deliver exemplary quality at affordable prices is just another aspect of their mass appeal. The following is a short list of our favorite affordable gems. One vodka proudly celebrates the fact that its core ingredient comes from just about the most fascinating water source imaginable. Canadian Iceberg Vodka (SRP $15), imported by Admiral Imports, is triple-distilled from corn grown in southern Ontario and water harvested from icebergs traveling the currents off the east coast of Newfoundland. The estimated 12,000-year-old glacial water is essentially free of microbial contaminants and atmospheric pollutants. Better yet, the water has a discernible texture and clean, crisp taste. For a purportedly neutral vodka, there certainly is a lot going on. PHOTO: JEREMY BALL Affordable Luxury Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka One formula for success is to make an outstanding vodka and give it the name of a universally respected sports figure. But a word of caution: The vodka better be great and the personage better be beloved. Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka (SRP $24) passes both litmus tests . . . easily. As you no doubt already know, the namesake celebrity is golf legend Fuzzy Zoeller Jr., a 34-year veteran of the PGA and Champions tours. As for the vodka, it's a winner as well. Made in Bend, Oregon, Fuzzy's is a naturally gluten-free vodka produced with corn and spring water sourced from the nearby Cascade Mountains. It's distilled five times before being rigorously filtered and bottled at 80 proof. Like the game of golf itself, this vodka is not meant to be rushed. Fuzzy's has a satiny textured body and a vanilla and cocoa nose. The cool, soft entry is quickly followed by the dry, long lasting flavors of vanilla and peaches. "Like a true golf champion, Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka has everything, says the brand's namesake, Fuzzy Zoeller. "From the exceptional " package to the award winning product in the bottle, Fuzzy's truly is the hole-in-one vodka!" www.fuzzyvodka.com Fuzzy's Spirits Dutchcraft Small Batch Vodka Dutchcraft Small Batch Vodka is a sterling example of how drinking a world-class spirit needn't sideswipe your budget. Forget its unassuming packaging, with a retail price of $15, Dutchcraft is an Olympic-class performer. The Dutch import is crafted in two principal phases. Three different distilleries produce the base neutral grain spirits, which are five-times-distilled in column stills. The three spirits come off the still 96% alcohol and are then blended together in Zevenaar, in the northeast corner of Holland. The vodka is repeatedly filtered to ensure purity and reduced to 40% with spring water from the Veluwe Nature Preserve near Arnheim. The water source is located 200 meters underground and has been flowing freely since the Ice Age. "Dutchcraft's elegant, smooth taste separates it from the mass-produced vodkas of Eastern Europe, " says Graham Williams, the brand's National Sales Manager. In the short time the vodka has been on the market, Dutchcraft has already garnered Gold Medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the MicroLiquor Spirits Award. This is affordable luxury imported from Holland. www.arcadiaimports.com Arcadia Imports june 2013 / the tasting panel / 143 TP0613_120-156.indd 143 5/23/13 4:56 PM