Russian Standard
St Petersburg, Russia
Winter wheat spirit cut with glacial water and charcoal filtered, made to the Russian state vodka standard set in the nineteenth century.
- Filtration
- Charcoal
- Grains
- winter wheat
- Congeners
- Very Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Very Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 98
- Sugar
- 0g
14g ethanol at 40% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓No added sugar or additives
- ✓Made to a defined national specification
What to watch
- !Wheat base
Factor by factor
Congeners Very Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Very Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Very Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Very Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Russian Standard is built around a specification rather than a distillation-count claim: the state standard for vodka that Russia formalised in the nineteenth century, which fixes strength and purity rather than process. That is a more meaningful thing to certify than “distilled five times”, which no regulator defines.
Base is winter wheat, so it sits with the gluten-grain group rather than the grain-free one.
Russian Standard questions
How many calories are in a shot of Russian Standard? ▾
About 98 calories in a 1.5oz shot at 40% ABV. All of them come from the alcohol, since there is no sugar.
Does Russian Standard have sugar? ▾
No. Russian Standard has 0g of sugar per 1.5oz serving.
Is Russian Standard gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Russian Standard is distilled from wheat, so US rules bar it from claiming gluten-free. Distillation does remove the gluten protein, and the Celiac Disease Foundation considers distilled spirits safe for most coeliacs. If you would rather avoid the question, pick a spirit distilled from corn, potato, grape or agave.
What is Russian Standard made from? ▾
Russian Standard is made from winter wheat and filtered through charcoal.
What proof is Russian Standard? ▾
Russian Standard is 80 proof, which is 40% alcohol by volume.
Does Russian Standard give you a bad hangover? ▾
Russian Standard scores 2/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 2/10 for vodka overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.
Is Russian Standard vegan? ▾
Yes. Russian Standard is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.