Vodka Belvedere Heritage 176. With Belvedere Heritage 176 (2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge - Finalist - 94 Points), Belvedere’s Master Rye Distillers apply fire to the rye before distillation, to further demonstrate its potential for nuanced taste. Belvedere Heritage 176 is quite simply a taste of vodka’s past. Up until the 19th century, Polish vodka-makers relied on the old technique of ‘malting’, using fire-kilned drying - a tradition which also naturally revealed rich and distinctive flavors. Over time, as the vodka category expanded, and technology evolved, these old traditions sadly faded out, and vodka became more associated with neutrality.