Vodka is not one spirit — it is whatever you ferment and distill, and the base ingredient decides the texture in the glass. Potato makes it creamy, rye keeps a spicy edge, winter wheat turns it silky, rice makes it soft and faintly sweet, and a whisky maker's Coffey still leaves real grain character in place. The five bottles below prove the point, from a $29.99 Japanese rice vodka to a $44.99 Coffey-still pour, and every one is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California. Browse the full vodka collection alongside this guide.
Five Vodkas, Five Base Ingredients
- Haku Japanese Vodka — $29.99. The rice vodka: 100% Japanese white rice (hakumai), fermented with rice koji, pot-distilled in Kagoshima, distilled a second time across pot and column stills, then filtered through bamboo charcoal in Osaka by the House of Suntory. Soft, subtly sweet and exceptionally clean at 40% ABV — the bottle that converts people who think vodka has no flavour. 750mL.
- Chopin Potato Vodka — $32.99. The potato original that created the category in 1992: 100% Stobrawa potatoes grown near the family distillery in Krzesk, eastern Poland — roughly 40 potatoes, about 3 kg, in every bottle — distilled four times in a copper column. The fullest-bodied of the Chopins: creamy, dense and made for a very dry martini. 40% ABV, 750mL.
- Grey Goose Vodka — $34.99. The wheat classic: single-origin Picardy winter wheat, distilled just once — a deliberate choice to preserve character rather than strip it — and blended with spring water naturally filtered through limestone in France's Cognac region. Almond blossom, citrus and white pepper over a silky, rounded palate at 40% ABV. 750mL.
- Belvedere Vodka — $39.99. The rye benchmark: 100% Polish rye distilled four times at the historic Polmos Zyrardow distillery (founded 1910), cut with artesian well water, with zero additives, no sugar and no glycerin. Named for the Belweder presidential palace pictured on the bottle, it keeps soft vanilla and cream notes from the rye itself. 40% ABV, 750mL.
- Nikka Coffey Vodka — $44.99. The whisky maker's vodka: corn and malted barley distilled in Nikka's original Coffey stills at Miyagikyo — vintage continuous stills imported from Scotland in 1963 — then charcoal-filtered. The older still design retains grain character, so the corn brings soft sweetness and the barley quiet complexity, with the famous creamy Coffey mouthfeel. 40% ABV, 750mL; compare its sibling in our gin guide.
How to Choose by Base
For the silkiest martini, wheat (Grey Goose) and rice (Haku) are the smoothest roads in. For texture and weight — a vodka you can sip neat or stir down very dry — potato (Chopin) and rye (Belvedere) carry more body. For character closer to a white whisky, Nikka Coffey Vodka is in a class of one. All five are unflavoured, additive-free-leaning classics built on a single idea: the ingredient matters. More reading on the Del Mesa blog, with ordering help in the FAQs and delivery terms on the shipping policy page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the base ingredient change how vodka tastes?
Yes. Potato vodka (Chopin) is creamy and full-bodied, rye vodka (Belvedere) keeps vanilla, cream and a spicy edge, wheat vodka (Grey Goose) is silky and soft, rice vodka (Haku) is delicate and faintly sweet, and Coffey-still corn-and-barley vodka (Nikka) retains the most grain character of all.
Which vodka is best for a martini?
Grey Goose ($34.99) is the classic silky martini vodka, Chopin Potato ($32.99) makes the fullest, creamiest dry martini, and Haku ($29.99) gives the softest, most delicate result. Serve any of them ice-cold with a lemon twist or olives.
What is Coffey-still vodka?
Nikka Coffey Vodka ($44.99) is distilled from corn and malted barley in vintage Coffey continuous stills — imported from Scotland in 1963 — at the Miyagikyo Distillery in Japan. The older still design is less efficient by intent, retaining grain flavour and a creamy texture most modern vodka strips away.
Can I buy premium vodka online at Del Mesa Liquor?
Yes — all five vodkas in this guide are available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, California, from $29.99 to $44.99, subject to shipping eligibility in your state.