Just read another article reporting on the results of a blind taste-test of premium versus bargain vodkas (an older one is here). It's no surprise to me at all that most people can't distinguish one vodka from the next in a mixed drink, but I was kind of surprised (and somehow pleased) that several of the people who claimed that they prefer Grey Goose to all other vodkas ended up hating it in a blind taste test! I drink almost exclusively Absolut Citron, although as I've mentioned before, I can't stand plain Absolut. I rarely drink plain vodka straight up; when I do I like Level or Svedka or Stoli well enough. I seem to actively dislike all the really high-end vodkas, like Grey Goose and Ketel One (which is just as well, since they're so spendy).
Apparently you can make vodka out of almost anything (potatoes, grain, etc.) and still call it vodka, which seems strange to me. I wonder whether anyone can taste a vodka and tell what it's made of.
I can't get the individual post to link up, but you might want to check out: http://www.ohmygoditburns.com ... near the bottom (four or five posts down), they "scientifically" try to make high-end vodka out of bottom-shelf stuff with a Brita filter.
Posted by: Cap'n Ganch | May 27, 2007 at 06:37 PM
I drink Chopin when I'm feeling ritzy, but I often buy Stolichnaya, too. My main consideration is whether it burns when you drink it straight. There are probably a half a dozen other considerations that connoisseurs attend to, but I have no idea what they might be.
Posted by: scott | May 28, 2007 at 12:29 AM
I've tasted Brita-filtered cheaper vodka and it does make it more smooth.
I like Stoli, which seems plenty good most of the time. We filterest a really cheap vodka and came out with something that was better than Stoli, at least.
Posted by: James | May 28, 2007 at 08:10 AM
Well, this is an interesting topic. Most typically, the neutral grain spirit vodkas are differentiated by the combination of the charcoal filtering of the spirit and the water used to dilute it. However, potato vodka has a completely different taste from the NGS form. My personal favorite, though, is called Starka -- which is vodka, aged in a barrel for years. The tradition used to be that a barrel of vodka would be buried in the ground the day of a child's birth and dug back up upon their 18th birthday.
Posted by: Generic Humanoid | May 28, 2007 at 01:06 PM
I'm vodka ignorant (the rare times I drink it, it's drowned by sissy stuff), but I find Snob-Buster reports like this very satisfying!
If I ever get to the point of drinking straight vodka, I guarantee it won't be the flavor I'm after.
Posted by: mommyralf | May 29, 2007 at 10:47 AM
Well, mommyralf, all I can say is if you are looking for a different vodka experience, I would say that some form of starka would probably turn you on. Most other vodkas (Chopin and the potato varieties) really are just distilled, watered down grain alcohol.
As an addendum, I can truly attest that the ONLY two purposes for Peppar Vodka are: 1) bloody mary's and 2) gagging when drank straight!
Posted by: Generic Humanoid | May 30, 2007 at 05:42 PM