Premium Vodka: Man Or Myth?

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jetproppilot

jetproppilot

Turboprop Driver
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Compelling subject, since by definition, vodka is supposed to be colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

I saw a tv show that got a buncha young studs/studettes together....put them to the test....Gray Goose, Taaka, etc.....they swore before the taste test they could taste the difference....but in the end, they failed miserably.

Not a big vodka drinker so I cant say.....but have heard anecdotally that you can absolutely tell the difference.

Whatcha think?

A true difference in premium vs I-just-wanna-buzz spirit, or a marketing hoax?
 
jetproppilot said:
Compelling subject, since by definition, vodka is supposed to be colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

I saw a tv show that got a buncha young studs/studettes together....put them to the test....Gray Goose, Taaka, etc.....they swore before the taste test they could taste the difference....but in the end, they failed miserably.

Not a big vodka drinker so I cant say.....but have heard anecdotally that you can absolutely tell the difference.

Whatcha think?

A true difference in premium vs I-just-wanna-buzz spirit, or a marketing hoax?
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I think there's a difference. Grey Goose is a hell of a lot more drinkable with ice cubes in a coffee cup than Vladimir. I call the difference smooth versus harsh, and have absolutely no idea what chemical properties go into determining either.
 
Jet, not a huge vodka drinker here, either. I'd prefer to drink something with a little more of its own flavor rather than just alcoholizing a fruit juice in order to get crunk. That being said, when I do mix the occasional cocktail that calls for vodka I generally go for a mid-range to premium brand for the exact reason that nutmegs mentioned above. You can tell the difference between Skol vodka at $6.99 for a 1.75L bottle and Ketel One or Belvedere, but anyone who says they can tell the difference between super-premium brands is FOS in my opinion.

I don't remember exactly where, but I recall hearing that at a recent major spirits competition (San Francisco, maybe?) they did a blind tasting of vodkas and ranked regular old Smirnoff Triple-distilled number one.

Here's a great article about vodka from one of my favorite cocktail geeks - he's a director at Microsoft whose other passion is spirits and cocktails:
http://www.drinkboy.com/Essays/DistilledWater.html

It's an old site, but he has a lot of other great essays about cocktails and bar culture - something you might find enlightening to peruse as it sounds like you're interested in elevating the cocktail experience to a higher plane.
 
Do it yourself. Get a bottle of good stuff and some Taaka and see if you can tell the difference.

I just did it. I was sitting here watching some snowboarding videos getting ready for a big weekend in To-hell-u-ride sipping on some fancy French vodka my partner gave me for the holidays. Its Jean-Mare XO 9 times distilled and charcoal filtered. Good **** with a hint of vanilla aftertaste. Remarkable since there is no favoring added. The flavor comes from the wheat grains I assume and the Limousin oak in the filtering process. So back to the taste test. I had my wife poor a bit of Reyka in one jigger and Skyy in the other. I failed the test . But I understand how one can miss it when sipping but after drinking a good vodka it gets better as opposed to the cheaper ones, they get harsher. I had my wife make a martini with both just like I like them. I could tell after drinking it for a short time. It was more noticeable with quantity and time. Just my observation.

Now I am a little more relaxed.😀
 
Noyac said:
Do it yourself. Get a bottle of good stuff and some Taaka and see if you can tell the difference.

I just did it. I was sitting here watching some snowboarding videos getting ready for a big weekend in To-hell-u-ride sipping on some fancy French vodka my partner gave me for the holidays. Its Jean-Mare XO 9 times distilled and charcoal filtered. Good **** with a hint of vanilla aftertaste. Remarkable since there is no favoring added. The flavor comes from the wheat grains I assume and the Limousin oak in the filtering process. So back to the taste test. I had my wife poor a bit of Reyka in one jigger and Skyy in the other. I failed the test . But I understand how one can miss it when sipping but after drinking a good vodka it gets better as opposed to the cheaper ones, they get harsher. I had my wife make a martini with both just like I like them. I could tell after drinking it for a short time. It was more noticeable with quantity and time. Just my observation.

Now I am a little more relaxed.😀
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UHHHHHHHHHHH,

Noy has lost the edge.

Like said in Top Gun, he's holdin' on too tight. Lost the edge.

Noy's wifey is hot, folks. Trust me. And she's making him drinks. Stirrin' em up and bringing 'em to him.

AND HE'S WORRIED ABOUT HOW THE DRINK TASTES.

You're a little low Cougar, I mean Noy......pull up....
 
One important difference between cheap and premium vodka's is the source of the alcohol. The cheap ones (and this is true of most cheap, distilled spirits) start with an alcohol made from molasses or sugar, whereas the better ones start with neutral grain spirits. Right away you can tell the difference between the two. I mainly drink gin, and you can immediately taste the sweetness in a cheap gin. Once you're into the neutral grain spirits, technically, what vodka is is ethanol and water, where the ethanol comes from neutral grains. So, in theory, you shouldn't be able to taste a difference between decent vodkas (unless, I suppose, they used varying qualities of water...). All that said, people do seem to think they can tell the difference... I can't.

Gin's a little difference because, beyond the grain alcohol and water, it is distilled with a host of other ingredients that give each label its characteristic flavor.
 
cchoukal said:
Gin's a little difference because, beyond the grain alcohol and water, it is distilled with a host of other ingredients that give each label its characteristic flavor.
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Ahhh, gin...the original "flavored" vodka. I'll take it any day over vodka. I've been drinking my Bloody Marys with gin lately, even -- very tasty. (I think it's called a Red Snapper if you make it with gin.)

I've read articles in the paper about college students filtering cheap vodka through their Brita filters. A couple of trips through the Brita and you can't tell the difference between the cheap stuff and a premium spirit any more. Haven't tried this myself, but it would make for an interesting experiment.

Noy, your wife sounds awesome. 👍 I don't think I could get mine to indulge my imbibing like that (without getting drunk along with me, at least).
 
Saw a Mythbusters show about this very topic once...they came to the conclusion that there is indeed a difference in taste between the cheap stuff and "top shelf" vodka...will have to see if I can't find a link discussing that particular episode.
 
Ah, the things you forget as you grow old!

As a college student, let me say:
Yes, there is a taste difference.
No, it is not worth the price difference. Alcohol is alcohol!
I will say though, that nice vodka gives much less of a hangover than cheap vodka.
 
I drink Cirroc...distilled from grapes, and i can tell it from other vodks, but I'm not sure about the other ones compared to each other.
 
Heres the deal. Grey Goose, Ketel One, Belvedere...all the top shelves with a touch of tonic and lime, drink 'em up all night. Put some cheap swill in there,and I'm fending off the pending grand mal from that rotgut
 
I will say that whenever I mix a drink using premium vodka vs cheap vodka, the cheap one always tastes more alcoholly(sp?). The premium ones seem smoother but I have no scientific evidence to back it up
 
Did my own taste test one time in undergrad with a friend. A blind test test so I never knew which one I was tasting just whether the next was better.

1st was scmernoff(sp)- which burned but wasnt terrible
2nd was grey goose- definatly much better- almost taste like it was the 1st one watered down.
3rd was Mr. Bosten- I actually vomited.

The differences are real. I still dont buy grey goose since I dont have mega cash. And when you mix the vodka the differences are less noticable. I usually go with upper-mid level now(stoli).
 
Smirnoff won some big blinded vodka taste off against the very pricey vodka's.

I like Kettle One, it has a distinct taste.

When I feel like dropping mad cash I get Hangar One Vodka. Oh yes my friends.
 
I can easily taste the difference between different vodkas. The better the vodka IMO the less you can taste it. Absolute and smirnof, I can't even drink. Sky is the cheapest vodka that has a good clean taste. Much better than the other two and better than the ever popular Grey Goose, although the goose is decent. My favorite is definitely Ketel One. Nothing that I've tasted yet, not even Belvedere, is as good. When I get bottle service they are often all the same price, I still get Ketel One- without hesitation.
 
trent05 said:
I can easily taste the difference between different vodkas. The better the vodka IMO the less you can taste it. Absolute and smirnof, I can't even drink. Sky is the cheapest vodka that has a good clean taste. Much better than the other two and better than the ever popular Grey Goose, although the goose is decent. My favorite is definitely Ketel One. Nothing that I've tasted yet, not even Belvedere, is as good. When I get bottle service they are often all the same price, I still get Ketel One- without hesitation.
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Where do you go for bottle service?...and how much does it cost you?

Try Ciroc next time...you'll be pleasantly surprised.
 
trent05 said:
I can easily taste the difference between different vodkas. The better the vodka IMO the less you can taste it. Absolute and smirnof, I can't even drink. Sky is the cheapest vodka that has a good clean taste. Much better than the other two and better than the ever popular Grey Goose, although the goose is decent. My favorite is definitely Ketel One. Nothing that I've tasted yet, not even Belvedere, is as good. When I get bottle service they are often all the same price, I still get Ketel One- without hesitation.
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Not a fan of the Ketel One.

Cirroc, very good as Mil said
Chopin
Reyka, $22 a bottle, lava filtered. Personally, I think its hard to beat.
Level was OK
Hangar, I plan to try sometime soon.
Grey Goose, just plain good.
 
Noyac said:
Not a fan of the Ketel One.

Cirroc, very good as Mil said
Chopin
Reyka, $22 a bottle, lava filtered. Personally, I think its hard to beat.
Level was OK
Hangar, I plan to try sometime soon.
Grey Goose, just plain good.
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I've got a bottle of Reyka in my freezer right now and break it out for special occasions (i.e. weekends). Had to order it from my local store (they don't have a section for Icelandic Vodkas yet).

I prefer Belvedere to Grey Goose for some reason. The last time I had the Goose I thought it was a bit too viscous for my taste.
 
I had never heard of Reyka until this thread. Interested that is also a "green" vodka. I'm going to have to try it. Also don't get out as much as I used to.

I was a fan of grey goose until I found Vox. I've been pretty loyal since I had it about 4 years ago.
 
Trisomy13 said:
I've got a bottle of Reyka in my freezer right now and break it out for special occasions (i.e. weekends). Had to order it from my local store (they don't have a section for Icelandic Vodkas yet).

I prefer Belvedere to Grey Goose for some reason. The last time I had the Goose I thought it was a bit too viscous for my taste.
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:laugh: Those are the best special occasions....

On topic, I'm not a huge vodka afficionado, but I like watching The Thirsty Traveler on The Fine Living Network.... They're making vodka with water harvested from Icebergs in Newfoundland. It's supposed to be the purest on the market, since the ice/water is so old (i.e. almost undetectible contaminants). However, it was interesting because they actually bought the pure grain alcohol from which they then diluted with the iceberg water. So, I'd imagine the distiller from whom they purchased the alcohol would have a lot to do with the quality.

It seemed somewhat gimicky, but you never know. Anyone tried this stuff? I guess they're making money hand over fist with exports.

http://www.icebergvodka.net/
 
cfdavid said:
:laugh: Those are the best special occasions....

On topic, I'm not a huge vodka afficionado, but I like watching The Thirsty Traveler on The Fine Living Network.... They're making vodka with water harvested from Icebergs in Newfoundland. It's supposed to be the purest on the market, since the ice/water is so old (i.e. almost undetectible contaminants). However, it was interesting because they actually bought the pure grain alcohol from which they then diluted with the iceberg water. So, I'd imagine the distiller from whom they purchased the alcohol would have a lot to do with the quality.
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"Old icebergs" are pure, just like "organic" food is healthier.
 
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