The world of vodka is so vast, but most people never really explore it, instead opting to stick to a brand of vodka that they’re familiar with (or that they’ve seen advertised in a magazine). But all vodkas are not created equal, and there are actually a wide variety of tastes and experiences to be had with vodka, from the extremely neutral Ketel One and Finlandia Vodka to the more flavor-focused Absolut and Sobeski.

Each vodka brings something unique to the table, so it’s important to taste a number of different vodkas and understand what they have to offer. Fris Vodka isn’t as well-known as some of the other major national brands (it’s actually owned by the same company that owns Absolut) but it’s definitely a vodka worth exploring. Fris is from Denmark and uses Danish wheat, which is fermented and then freeze-distilled. Most distilled spirits are distilled using heat (alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, so heat distilling is an effective way of separating out alcohol). Though popular, heat distillation ends up cooking the material you’re distilling, so it can impart a specific kind of flavor that’s different from freeze distillation.

Freeze distillation utilizes the fact that water freezes at a higher temperature than alcohol, allowing the two to be separated via freezing. The sales pitch is that freeze distillation does a better job of removing impurities, but the real benefit is that you aren’t cooking the grains, so they tend to have a fresher, cleaner flavor. Nosing Fris, you can tell immediately that it’s made from wheat, as it has a soft and sweet wheat aroma.

The taste of Fris very closely matches the nose, with distinctly sweet wheat that fills the palate. It picks up a little spice and slight citrus, and finishes crisp and clean. Like many well-made wheat vodkas, Fris has a nice, soft mouthfeel. Fris is smooth enough to be enjoyed straight (it’s probably one of the better vodkas to use if you want to do vodka shots), but it really shines in a vodka soda where its crisp, sweet flavor profile is complemented.

Fris also comes in a few different flavors, including cherry, blueberry, and grape, but it’s the base unflavored vodka which stands out the strongest.