Smirnoff Black Label vodka is the bottle Valentin Zukovsky pours in GoldenEye, and the one he serves Bond in The World Is Not Enough. Robbie Coltrane’s Zukovsky is a man who keeps a good bottle to hand, and it is a fair choice: a pot-distilled vodka, a step up from the everyday Smirnoff, and still easy to find.
Drinking it now
The Whisky Exchange describes Smirnoff Black Label as pot-distilled and filtered through seven tons of charcoal. Other retailers describe it as made in small batches in a copper pot still. The label is black with a silver border, and some bottles come in a cardboard gift box. One retailer’s tasting note mentions a sweet bouquet with chocolate and spice, and vanilla and nutty notes on the palate.
We would serve it as Zukovsky does, neat and very cold, from the freezer, in a small glass. Buy the 70cl bottle from a reputable merchant; US retailers also list a Russian-import 1-litre bottle, so check which one you are buying.
At the time of writing, in October 2026, Vinello in Europe lists the 70cl bottle at €15.98 including VAT; prices vary by country and merchant. Please drink responsibly.
In the same spirit
Another Smirnoff from the films is the Smirnoff No. 21 vodka, an alternative rather than the bottle from this film.
Specifications
| Brand | Smirnoff |
|---|---|
| Variant | Black Label |
| Style | Pot-distilled vodka, charcoal filtered |
| Bottle | 70cl (1 litre Russian import also sold in the US) |
| Price | From €15.98 for 70cl, Vinello (October 2026) |
More from the film is on the GoldenEye page; see also Food & Drink.
