Many years a go I used to drink a vodka from Turkey named Izmira that was distilled from white beets. Wonderful!!!!!!!! Sadly no longer available in the U.S. I'm a big Belvedere fan. Slightly sweet and nuanced, but has a great vodka kick. Lately though I've discovered 360 Vodka. American made and so smooth. Almost too easy to drink. So, what's your vodka pleasure? And please, no testimonials to Popov. I know I know, something has to go in the brown paper bag, but if you have to get Kamchatka.
This is a Russian vodka that I found at "Total Wines." It's not real expensive. Has a nice flavor and kick. I like it on the rocks with a slice of lime. The manager at Total Wines tuned me on to it. Her favorite. Its won all kinds of awards too.
Sorry Guys and Gals. I tried the Tito's, really I did. Twice, seriously. Once at my brothers, his bottle, and then last weekend bought a bottle of my own. I only drink vodka on ice, and like a little burn and kick going in, which is why I quit drinking Vodka 360, it's too smooth, but the Tito's always tastes too bitter and sour. Maybe it's the corn, because I don't like corn. And I don't like the way I feel the next day after Tito's. Oh well, one man's meat. So I will be trying Shakers and Hanger 1 next, both of which get rave reviews. PS, found a neat booze review website called SpiritReviews.com. I like this guys reviews, and he's private and unsponsered. Give the site a try.
Thanks, Guys Reading your comments made me thirsty. Picked up some Tito's (vodka from Austin Huh) and it was awesome. Drinking neat, so Smooth and full. Listening on Ipod Touch Pandora(no upgrade needed, at least at this time)and Typing away. Cheers
And the winner is!!!!!!!! Gvori. I started this post for fun, but it's also been interesting and educational. I've tried all the popular vodkas on here like Svedka, Ketel 1 (a great vodka), Stoli and all the Russian vodkas like Russian Standard, Gray Goose, etc. Also tried a lot of the American vodkas like Titos and Vodka 360, which was the smoothest vodka I'd tasted, but it lacks body. I've come to the conclusion that the Poles make the best vodkas. Chopin, Pravda, Wybarowa, Luksusowa, my old fav Belvedere, so many superior vodkas. Anyway I went into Mission Wine and Spirits on New Years Eve, and they were out of Belvedere and Vodka 360, so I took a flier and bought a bottle of Gvori. It's a Polish rye based vodka that the Tasting Institute gave a 94, and it was only $14. Oh man, this is bar none the BEST vodka I have EVER tasted. In a class by itself. It somehow manages to be smooth going in but still has a great vodka kick without that little bit of raggedness that Belvedere and Titos have. It's a little stony, but still has hints of vanilla and caramel. It's long and round in the mouth and gets just a little sweet in the aftertaste. This stuff is superb. It's probably going to be hard to find, but worth it. Enjoy, and let me know. Oh oh, gotta go. As my Uncle Ted used to say, "It's tiddly time". Time for a little Gvori on the rocks. MJWPicMan
This morning I heard that Bruce Willis, the face of Belvedere, just received 3% of the company in stock to continue representing them as spokesperson for the next 3 years. I guess he's a beleiver.
Actuially, Belvedere is my ownchoice also. I did a direct compare of Belvedere vs. Grey Goose. They are both very nice, but exact polar opposites of each other. One is smooth up front with a wee taste/bite at the trailing end. The other is exactly the opposite of that.
The Best: Cold River Vodka, a potato vodka from Maine. The BEST.
Boyd and Blair, a small distiller here in Pittsburgh is pretty good too. I'm a Chopin fan (I prefer potato vodkas) as well. Grain vodkas? Level is excellent, or Belvedere.
My pleasure Ghosthouse. And while I'm at it let me also recommend Apilaszkiewicz's choice, and with a name like that he should know, of Wyborowa. I'd forgotten about Wyborowa, pronounced Vebarova, and how good it really is. We're having fun now, aren't we. Except for Rnm4 I guess.
Hey there, Mjwpicman - a guy at the State store also recommended Sobieski. He says it is rye-based. In any case, got some...it's good. Has body, flavor and is smoothe. Not to mention a very nice price.
I am not a vodka enthusiast, but I defer to the Russians.
Russian Standard Platinum was recommended as the best to me by very, very, very rich Russian friends.
For the longest time, it was impossible to find in the US, but now seems to be a bit more widely distributed.
Beware - many of the candidates mentioned above are the vodka equivalent of the B&W Nautilus speaker - mediocre performance in pretentious, overpriced, silly packaging.
Tito's is pretty goog, being almost exclusively a Vodka drinker I think I have tried most. I am partial to Rain Vodka, it is a bit of a sleeper and can be had online pretty cheap. It is made from organic white corn, it has a somewhat sweet aftertaste. Very good on its own or with a splash of soda.
Zhitomirska, from the Ukraine. "vodka" is from the translation of "water". This stuff is literally that smooth. Difficult to find, though. If you do find it, you will not believe the price ~15bucks. check http://www.zvodka.com/ for details.
There was a blind tasting at an avant garde vodka lounge in Chicago. The participants boasted confidently that they could distinguish between premium and well vodka. Grey Goose (the consensus favorite before testing) finished last, while Smirnoff (the vodka that most claimed they would never order) finished first. When mixers were used, nobody could discern any differences.
I'm not trying to be captious, I'm just tossing this out there for everybody's amusement.
As I sip some Ciroc while writing this, I will say that I am very fond of the French grape vodka. I also love Ketel. It doesn't get enough respect in my opinion. Haven't seen any Zyr posts. Used to love it, but been going with the Ciroc lately. As far as the Svedka goes, I use it in my vodka tonics and that is as far as I will go....don't see what all the hype is about, frankly. I'm getting a lot of ideas from you guys though. Thanks.
on he contrary, a couple of glasses of Vodka makes those radio shack speakers sound wonderful....and it's far cheaper to buy good vodka than to replace those $35 speakers with $35,000 ones.
Try going to Alcoholics Anonymous and spend your $$ on audio. Alcohol is a rapacious creditor...plus you will enjoy your music much better having better components.
A new contender. I heard about Sobieski Polish vodka and read up. It was given a 95 rating in taste tests by the Tasting Institute, better than my favs, Belvedere and 360 Vodka. I hadn't tried it because it seemed too cheap, $10.95 at Mission Spirits in Pasadena. I saw it at a store on sale for $7.95 and figured what the hell. Oh man is it tasty, smooth, clean, variegated hints of different flavors, non astringent. Top drawer, as good as I've tried yet.
hi, believe it or not the smoothest vodka I have ever tasted is dan ackriods ? new vodka that comes in a Cristal skull bottle. at a friends house i did a blind taste test with it against grey goose and two other very expensive vodkas , sorry I dont remember the others, but the first sip of the first shot of four , I looked at my friends and said , this must be the Cristal skull vodka, they said , way to fast buddy, taste the others first before you make that call ! so I did, and I still liked the first vodka best, it was just way smoother than the rest, and to my friends surprise I had indeed called out the Cristal skull on the first sip. well worth checking out !
I dunno. Maybe behind the iron curtain it was what there was, and so became iconic among Eastern block loyalists. Maybe some is better than others. Maybe there is a kind of connoisseurship to the subtleties of tastelessness. Or maybe the idea is not to leave a trace (they say a man who drinks vodka has something to hide). But vodka, however clean a drunk the "good" stuff might provide, is, as gustatory interest goes, for pussies. Not sober ones, mind you; it'll get you off. But a real drink is for tasting and getting sent -- not how little it tastes, but how much it tastes, and how good it tastes given how much it tastes. Scotch, Bourbon, wine (the real king of connoisseurship for dead sure), grappa, hell, even gin and beer (that's a whole world too). But vodka? Booze for people who might as well inject.
Suckers too, the prices they got for the "premium" hot water. "Have a little Grey Goose to go with your $1000/meter cables? Though you can't taste it (hear them) all the most successful advertising campaigns agree it is (they are) the best available. Yes, you say? Well, then, very good sir. And thank you. (Now let me just makes this deposit of funds.)"
Just my opinion. Let everyone enjoy his or her own poison!!!! I just wanna taste mine goin' down.
I tried the Debowa Polish oak vodka that Mariusz brought to a meeting once and it was superb. There's a little piece of oak floating in it that gives it a nice golden color.
I am a Belvedere fan, but this was just tasty. If you can find it you should try it.
Bob
If you live in NY, NJ or Chicago it is an easy find. If not, order on line.
Debowa Vodka costs between 23$-27$ in most liquor stores that sell it. Zobrowka Bison Grass Vodka might be a little cheaper but not by much.
If you like your Vodka straight up, these two go down VERY smooth. I do not care much for Vodka mixed in drinks as long as it doesn't make me sick like a dog. There are few which I simply do not touch for that reason.:)
Inman29 I'm with you on the vermouth...just wave the bottle over the glass. Practically speaking, if you must, add a capful to an empty glass, swirl and dump. Add vodka next (preferably at cryogenic temps) + 3 great, fat skewered Queen size olives...pimento, jalepeno, garlic (I ain't fussy). Never tried blue-cheese though. Sounds interesting. This is a fun thread.
Vodka fans, very interesting so far, and thanks for responding. A few new ones I've never heard of and intend to investigate. A lot of Ketel One fans (it is spelled Ketel) which is a superior vodka. For those of you who don't know, Ketel One is old time pot distilled, as is Tito's. Both, along with Belvedere, Monopolova, 360 Vodka (my new fav), and others for sale CHEAP at Trader Joe's. There's a great liquor store here in Pasadena, Ca. named Mission Wine and Spirits with a huge selection, all available on line. Browsing the aisles there is a gas. As far as the Popov goes, I don't see myself putting Belvedere in a Bloody Mary anyway. What a waste. Keep it up vodka fans, I'm putting together a little shopping list.
If you have Costco in your area by all means try their Kirkland brand; in a tall thin bottle. The word on the Internet is that is from from Grey Goose and could be Grey Goose. This is a fantastic vodka, smooth and was just reduced in price to $27.99 at Costco in San Diego.
very smooth, made from corn and compares to the best IMHO. My new fav http://www.titos-vodka.com/ try it before it catches on and the price goes up. TG
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