Yes, it’s from Slovenia. No, it’s not weird to ask. In this day and age, names mean nothing.

Made from 99.9% winter wheat and 0.1% non-pearled buckwheat (“for smoothness”), pot-distilled, and brought to proof with Slovenian Alps water, Slovenia Vodka has a curious pedigree. The money behind this new brand comes from, in part, chef Peter X. Kelly, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, and actor Bill Murray.

So that’s the story. How about the spirit?

The nose starts off classically, with medicinal character backed with a bit of smoke — or smoked meat — character. Pungent and powerful, it leads into a body that is surprisingly quite different than what you might expect. Here you’ll find much bigger sweetness, vanilla and butterscotch notes, with the hospital notes coming along in the finish. It’s a curious, but not unlikable, experience, careening from savory to sweet and back again. That said, the lack of focus is a bit strange, though some could argue this just adds complexity to an oftentimes simplistic spirit.

80 proof.

B+ / $30 / sloveniavodka.com