A new premium vodka, packaged in the style of a traditional Russian souvenir, is jetting over to the UK to join the thriving category.

The Moscow Kin wine-brandy factory produces three different sizes of Matrioshka vodka, made to an authentic Russian recipe, according to the company. The top half of each bottle looks like the famous ­matrioshka dolls, which fit one inside the other. The vodka comes in three flavours: original Matrioshka Lux, honey-flavoured Matrioshka Medovaya, aimed at female drinkers, and Matrioshka Cranberry. The sizes include 70cl, priced at £30, 50cl at £25 and a 35cl variant.

"The taste of Matrioshka is quite subtle," said head of special projects department Ekaterina Garina. "But it should be and this is one of the big differences from other vodkas. We don't distil, we refine, which is the traditional method."

Garina said the company had put huge efforts into educating people on vodka, particularly in suggesting how it should be drunk. "We have created a book on how to drink vodka that contains more than 100 recipes," she said.

The vodka is already listed in the UK's Caviar House restaurant chain, but the company plans to develop off-trade listings before establishing any further on-trade relationships, said Garina. "In France we are listed with Auchan and this has been very successful.We'd like to get similar UK listings with big UK chains."

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