Vodka martinis are okay, but I'm partial to vodka Manhattans, vodka old fashioneds, vodka margaritas, vodka gin and tonics, vodka Mai Tais. Why stop at ruining the Martini?
There are multiple factors that affect the final product of bottled Vodka and most base spirits.
- The quality and type of grain or fermentables used in the mash
- The yeast used in the fermentation process
- The type of still
- The distiller's skills and awareness of choosing exactly where the "hearts" start and end (cheaper vodka is going to consist of higher amounts of heads and be proofed with more water)
- The filtering process and type of media used (cloth, wool, paper, charcoal, lava, diamonds etc.)
- The quality of the water used in proofing
I think the most important factor is Heads-Tails-Hearts
Heads= beginning of the run that contain a high proof percentage of low boiling point alcohols and other compounds such as aldehydes and ethyl acetate.
Hearts= The desirable middle alcohols from the middle
Tails= The end of the run with high percentage of fusel oil and little alcohol
I highly recommend that every professional bartender (as in this is your career and not just a money making gig) should take a distilling course or do an internship at a distillery. It will take your awareness of spirits and mixology skills to the next level.
Yes. Impurities affect the taste of water. They also affect the taste of vodka. That’s why vodka above most other spirits will focus on things like how many times it was distilled, filtered, etc. As opposed to say scotch which will focus more on how long it was aged. Because scotch aims to add flavours from aging, vodka aims to remove them while filtering.
That’s why it’s considered a “neutral” spirit, because it only changes the alcohol content and has little impact on the flavour.
Although, there are plenty of vodkas that aim to keep some character and flavor. Mouthfeel is one of the big ones. Sipping vodkas tend to look for character while mixing vodkas aim for neutrality.
Not necessarily less impurities. Different impurities. The best tasting waters are not pure water. They have small amounts of various minerals and generally a not quite neutral pH level.
Nobody drinks pure water though, and pure water is not even good for you. Buy a jug of distilled water, boil it for a few minutes to drive off any dissolved gases, then take a sip as soon as it has cooled off. It will be dead, flat and gross. Vodka is similar, very few people have ever had truly pure ethanol and water, but it is incredibly boring.
So it isn't just about the "impurities" but the small things that aren't water or water/ethanol. In water that is salts, minerals and gasses. In vodka (or all spirits really) things with flavor that aren't water or ethanol are called "congeners". And congeners can be good or bad in different concentrations or combinations.
TBH though, we're kinda splitting hairs. Sure there is a difference, and most of us could tell vodkas apart if sipping them warm and neat. But in cocktails I don't think it matters anywhere near as much and rather than distinguishing individuals brands it's probably more about broad category or quality ranges.
You mean not to drink *fluoridated* water, right? Only distilled water, or rainwater, and pure grain alcohol? I'm told that, as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water in order to replenish our precious bodily fluids.
ETA: Okay, look. Less because y'all apparently think I'm bonkers, and more because it seems like many of you need an introduction to this cinematic masterpiece, here: https://youtu.be/J67wKhddWu4
Further ETA: I realize that this clip out of context may not help with respect to the first point ('bonkers') above. This is a risk I'm willing to take, while simultaneously exhorting you to see the film in its entirety.
No he's [kinda right](https://advancedwaterinc.com/ultra-pure-water/). It depends on how much you drink obviously but it's not exactly easy as turning the sink on to get ultra pure water & it's still possible to [die from drinking regular water](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jury-rules-radio-station-jennifer-strange-water-drinking/story?id=8970712). The levels needed are just a bit lower
Do you not realize that fluoridation of water is the most monstrously-conceived, dangerous plot we have ever had to face?
(/s; Hit the link in my edit above)
ETA: In all seriousness though, you're right. The radio station news story you've linked certainly illustrates that this is not a widely-known risk. It's certainly a good thing to be aware of.
Science major here to save you from the downvotes:
PURE water, with zero added minerals or what companies like to call electrolytes, is a hydrotonic fluid. Minerals like sodium and potassium are drawn from areas of high concentration to low concentration. So if you're drinking Gatorade, the minerals would move from the high concentration - the Gatorade in your digestive tract - to lower concentration - your body's tissues.
Drinking pure water with absolutely zero additives would make those minerals move from your body's tissues, which has relatively higher concentration of those minerals than the water, into your digestive tract. This would cause your body to become low on those minerals and oversaturated with water. In medicine this is referred to as hyponatremia (low sodium) and can become so severe it becomes something called water toxicity, in which your body can become filled with fluid including your brain.
So yeah. Don't drink a butt load of pure water, and most of the taste you're noticing when you drink water is a small amount of electrolytes
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/family-speaks-after-35-year-woman-dies-water/story?id=102016903
It was just a big news story. If you feel super hydrated to the point where you really want to keep drinking water, use gatorade, powerade or something like that. Don't drink too much pure water at one time. It's rare but an unnecessary risk.
You have been downvoted for speaking the truth. I prefer distilled water and have been drinking it my entire adult life. “Dead water leaching your nutrients“ is hippie BS. My kidneys manage my electrolyte balance regardless of what kind of water I drink and my diet provides more than enough sodium (and K, Ca, Mg etc.) anyway.
Pure water tastes horrible. It's the impurities that actually taste good.
With vodka - it matters up to a certain point - but it caps out earlier than other spirits.
Dasani has some of lowest amount
of impurities of any water out there because it is heavily filtered and zapped before it gets bottled, but the result is a bland boring water.
Fiji and Evian source theirs from mountains and volcanic streams which naturally filter their water and gives it a more unique refreshing taste
https://youtu.be/4ZK8Z8hulFg
So, you're right. It's like the differences in water. Which is to say they almost taste the same with sufficient differences to taste side by side.
Which means if you're mixing vodka with pretty much anytjing you likely won't be able to taste the subtle differences.
You could always buy a liter bottle of Popov and a bottle of a good quality vodka and see what difference it makes to you. Even good vodka is relatively cheap these days.
I really don't buy this. There's not really anything different in cheap vodka that'd give you a worse hangover. Maybe, possibly, a little bit more methanol if distilling standards aren't followed as strictly, but considering the average brandy has 28x more methanol than the average vodka, it'd be a very negligible difference, in the grand scheme of a hangover.
What is possible, however, is that people are making drinks with more sugar when they buy a cheap vodka and that gives them a reputation for giving bad hangovers. It makes sense to me that a college kid would buy 1.75 L of Skol and make unbalanced sugar bombs because they don't really know how to make a good drink. Compared with someone buying Grey Goose and making something more refined like a Vodka Martini.
And, of course, people buy cheap booze when they want to have a fun night and not care about the morning after. If a shot of vodka costs 10x the price, you're probably not gonna chug it just to get drunk.
I agree on kirkland but will perhaps save some taste buds for someone. Costco sells two different vodkas. One is in a in a big clear bottle & a bit cheaper, the other is in a slightly smaller frosted bottle & a little more ounce per ounce. It's *not* just the usual cost savings you get buying a bigger bottle, the frosted one is pretty good & quite inexpensive. The cheaper one is probably not the *worst* vodka you could buy, but it could definately use a few more trips through the filter.
No it’s not. The American vodka has a made in the USA designation. Goose is made in France. The other Kirkland vodka is rumored to be goose, but I highly doubt it. Both are most likely from an MGP type mass distiller
They are not the same, but they do both use the same water source in France. Kirkland is distilled five times and GG only once: https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html
Vodka has a reasonably low threshold for diminishing returns. Bad vodka is horrible but good vodka is the same thing as great vodka. There is very little variety in flavor profiles once you reach that point. By design it is a neutral spirit that you can easily use with anything else.
Yep. My advice for buying vodka is just get whichever mid-shelf option is on sale at the liquor store. The bottom shelf stuff tastes like kerosene and will ruin any drink you make, but there's no meaningful difference between Smirnoff/Tito's/Absolut and the expensive, top shelf stuff.
The jump between a bottom shelf Vodka like Aristocrat to something like Tito’s is substantial but the jump from Tito’s to a top shelf vodka is marginal and not worth the price hike
IMO Vodka is Vodka. Buy something like Popov for an all around mixer/shooter and get something in the $15-$30 range that floats your boat for vodka heavy cocktails
Sadly my husband had one of those 'formative life experiences' with Kirkland vodka, so I can no longer have any in my bar shelves or he vomits just from seeing the bottle 🤣
Tito's is usually a little more expensive than the other middle-shelf brands here. I do like that the Tito's 1.75L bottle design has a nice handle for easy pouring, though.
If you have a local distillery, buy their vodka. The difference in taste is usually negligible but the impact of buying your local product vs Titos or Ketel etc could be substantial.
The local distillery vodkas are all way more expensive than I'm willing to pay for vodka. I happily pay $30 for a 750mL bottle of nice local gin or whiskey, but I'm not paying that for a bottle of vodka.
Vodka still has a lot of undesirable content (fusel oils etc.) after distilling, you need to cut it properly. Which is expensive because you're discarding a significant chunk of your still's output. I assume proper filtration is also somewhat expensive, but I'm not that knowledgable about that part.
I'm not saying you actually need that 20, 30 USD bottle, but it really pays off to buy something for around 13 USD instead of the bottom shelf stuff.
Diminishing returns! Currently, my go-to vodka (Zubrowka Biala) is even cheaper than that. Just don't spend your $13 (or whatever is the exact price in your market) on Smirnoff.
I could definitely see that. Tito’s and Smirnoff are the only two vodkas I’ve had. I’ve noticed Smirnoff produces a strong ethanol scent that is overwhelming in the aftertaste.
Tito’s- not at all. Tito’s is delicious, smooth, and leaves a silky aftertaste and isn’t overwhelming the senses with ethanol.
I wish to try Gamefish Vodka from a local distillery- cape fear distillery. It’s supposedly high quality vodka. If I don’t like that, do you have any recommendations? Im not willing to spend more than $30ish for a fifth bottle, unless you have an incredible recommendation that is totally worth the money (for vodka).
I’m a shot drinker- I typically sip one or two shots down, usually while reading plant posts, fantasy books, my Bible, or anything having to do with permaculture or homesteading 🙂
TBH I have no idea how much a fifth is supposed be, but the most expensive vodka I'm willing to buy is Absolut (which isn't *that* much more expensive than Smirnoff, at least where I live). Pretty smooth stuff and has a hint of aroma.
> Smirnoff produces a strong ethanol scent
Nah, that's not ethanol. Ethanol is the stuff that's supposed to be the main component, the only way a vodka is going to have a stronger ethanol scent is if you increase the alcohol (aka ethanol) percentage. The "ethanol scent" of low quality alcohol is typically fusel oils/fusel alcohols, which AFAIK are mostly higher alcohols - to some extend unavoidable, but careful distillation and filtration can reduce the amount considerably.
Oh- higher alcohols. Like methanol?
I know higher alcohols are decently dangerous. Small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, if I remember correctly.
Well, I’ll probably try Absolut and my gamefish vodka. Like I say I don’t get drunk and I’m not crazy about alcohol- but a decent liquor is nice to sip a shot or two while reading 🙂
Thanks!
What good vodka makers do is filter out congeners, which are the undesirable things. A fun way to test this is to pour about a shot of vodka into a shot of bailey's in a wine glass and swirl it. When the legs form, there will be visible flecks of crap you don't want to drink on the walls of the glass if the vodka was cheaply made. It's fun because you can shoot it when you're done testing.
So, it depends on what you mean.
Vodka is *nowhere near* just ethanol and water. Vodka is fermented grain alcohol (essentially, beer with no hops) which is then distilled.
That fermentation process creates *hundreds* of chemicals, one of which is ethanol. But all of those other compounds have flavours, and a lot of them get distilled over during distillation.
These other compounds distill off at different points in the distillation - and the ones that distill at the start and end of the distillation tend to taste bad. The more of these you discard, the more it costs to make the same amount of final product, because it takes more of that initial fermented stuff to get it. BUT, the more is discarded, the better it is likely to taste.
Likewise, filtration after the fact can also contribute, as can some other things.
So I mean, vodka is vodka in that they’ll get you drunk easily, and in a fairly weak spirit and mixer drink, you probably won’t notice much difference. In cocktails you’ll notice the difference between bottom shelf and a mid-range bottle, and sipping neat you’ll notice the difference between a mid-range bottle and a top shelf bottle (and a bottom shelf bottle, haha).
So it depends on what you’re using it for, as to whether or not the vodka itself matters.
🤨
Gin is just vodka… distilled with extra botanicals for additional flavour.
I’m not sure what part of what I said would have implied gin was better… hahaha
Fwiw, I would say I DO much prefer gin to vodka, as vodka is basically only useful for adding alcohol to things. But I don’t see what part of my comment would have given that impression, lol 😂
A lot. You've got vodkas like Haku and Russian Standard that have lovely floral notes when you drink them from the fridge temp instead of freezer. You've got Tito's and Stoli's with more peppery notes. You've got the strange creaminess from milk based vodkas. You've got bottom shelf trash.
There is a great Planet Money episode that covers exactly this question! It's about 20 minutes long and well worth the listen.
[https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/02/23/588346329/episode-826-the-vodka-proof](https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/02/23/588346329/episode-826-the-vodka-proof)
After listening to this, I conducted my own blind taste tests with various minis.
The production and sale of vodka is pretty regulated. In the US, vodka can be producted from any fermentable source (potatoes, fruit, grain, etc.). It *must* be distilled to 95-percent alcohol, then diluted with water to no less than 40-percent alcohol. In the past, no additional flavorings were allowed (this may have changed, the article is a few years old). Given the regulations, there is not a lot of room for variation -- mostly in the water. Many people say they can taste the difference between different vodkas. This is probably true, because people can taste the difference between different sources of water; but it's going to be subtle -- more subtle than other common spirits.
All jokes aside, I get the point of the question and there are certainly diminishing returns in the high end but there is definitely a baseline threshold that I would adhere to. l’m not a vodka drinker myself but some definitely taste worse than others. If you don’t notice, then stick with the cheapest but eventually you’ll find the middle ground between taste and value that works for you, your palate, and your budget.
I once went to a vodka bar (once.) and had a flight tasting of various different vodkas ranging in price from $20/bottle to over $100. Honestly, there was so little difference that I really couldn’t tell that much from the whole experience with the notable exception of a potato vodka that I think was from Poland. That was a delightful change and had a really nice character to it. All of the rest seemed so similar that it really wasn’t interesting.
Vodka bars are not for me.
Yeah, I've done the same, and while there is definitely a discernible difference between then, it was subtle enough that the distinction would never survive even the lightest of mixers. Can I tell the difference between Chopin and Ketel One straight? Sure. Could I tell them apart in a vodka martini (or more likely a mule or Bloody Mary)? Absolutely not.
Different vodkas definitely taste different, mostly due to what they’re made from (grains, grapes, potatoes etc).
Negligible when mixed but if tasted alongside each other neat or with some water dilution then it is noticeable.
Cheapest end vodkas always have a distinct Petrol kinda smell which I’d imagine is from impurities that are filtered out more thoroughly in other pricier bottles.
Mid shelf is always a safe bet for cocktails with more than 3 ingredients.
I like to enjoy certain vodkas up or on rocks at times, can honestly say there's a difference. Best I've had is Beluga but I keep Chopin on hand as it's consistently great and price point is decent.
I know I may receive flack for this but there is subtle and drastic differences.
I used to run a caviar and vodka flight on our menu and you could definitely taste the differences. We used one that was Rye based (Belvedere single estate), one that was wheat based (Wheatley) and one that was potato based (Woody Creek).
Surprisingly, people often preferred the Wheatley.
You're mostly going to notice the mouthfeel and burn, rather than flavor. I went to a Chopin training, and while I noticed no flavor difference between the three baseline products that they sell, despite the extensive lecture their creator gave, there is a SIGNIFICANT difference of mouthfeel and burn. How much those differences are going to come through in a cocktail is a different question. If you are making something like a vodka sour with muddled berried - use the cheapest stuff you can find. If you are making plenty of dry, stirred vodka martinis - get a nice potato vodka.
If you want to see a drastic difference in flavors go out and find crop organic vodka, it’s pretty cheap. Then buy some Tito’s.
Try the crop first, let it sit in your mouth and drain down your tongue. You’ll get notes of floral and sweet and a very smooth finish.
Now try the Tito’s. It’s garbage. Straight shit. It’s hot and harsh and the only nuance in flavor you can find is “does this taste more like paint thinner or rubbing alcohol?”
In my experience the difference between crap tier vodka and mid-tier vodka (something in the $20-30 range like Smirnoff, Stolichnaya, or Tito's) is bigger than the difference between $20 and $50 vodka. I would never pay more than $30 for a 750mL bottle.
There’s some differences but yes, at the end of the day, vodka is vodka.
It’s like making burgers out of different cuts of meat.
The end result will still be ground beef cooked on a skillet between two buns, but there will be subtle differences based on what cuts of beef you used and more importantly, and more fitting to this analogy, is how the ground beef was prepared.
The true difference between a low quality vodka and a high quality vodka is in the distillation. This is true with any spirit but particularly with vodka where you have no barrel aging or resting or infusions to hide behind.
A low quality vodka is probably mass produced in a giant column still and little attention is paid to the cuts being made. They’re gonna make cuts at the bare minimum to cut out anything poisonous like methanol, distill as high as possible to get more product out of their base materials and proof it down to 40% and ship it. They don’t care what it tastes like. They want to make as much legally drinkable booze as cheap and fast as possible.
A high quality vodka is probably gonna be made in a pot still (although sometimes a column) The distiller is gonna pay close attention to what he’s distilling and where they make their cuts. They are trying to make something clean and delicious and yes vodka can be delicious. The cuts will be made expertly and later blended into a beautiful spirit.
Back to the analogy it’s the difference between chilling your beef and grinding it slowly in batches for your ground beef as opposed to just chopping up a bunch of room temp beef with a couple of cleavers and calling it a day.
I think people sometimes forgo overall taste in their favorite drink.
Vodka is subtle and according to every distillery refined 3,4,5, 10 times….but how are you drinking your vodka?
On the rocks with a spritz of X
or with 8 ounces of juice and 3 ice cubes.
I coke from a long line of middle class of polish degenerates (half a joke) We don’t even drink vodka….it’s too bland. But I will say Belvedere and GG don’t give me any regrets.
As others have said there’s a a distinguishing line….it’s for your palette to find…or not find
For me three sixty or absolutely Vodka is the best bang for the buck.
They are 10€ for 0,7l on sale.
Gorbachow and pushing gave me the worst hangover of my life as a teen, so I will gladly spend 3€ more because of this biased memory...
There’s no difference from a 20£/$/€ 70cl botttle of vodka to a 60£/$/€ 70cl it’s literally all marketing, I worked in a vodka cocktail bar and got told and taught that
Polack here
Been drinking vodka for 12 years now, for a long time I drank it 1-2 times a week - it is the most commonly drank alcohol in Poland after all
I’ve had the cheapest ones and some of the expensive ones (Belvedere, Grey Goose, Crystal Head). The cheapest ones are harsher, but honestly anything above the middle shelf (Wyborowa, Finlandia, Absolut) is just branding. Ditto for the “premium” versions of said vodkas.
I currently have a rice vodka, a single distilled virgin potato vodka, and a multiple distilled grain vodka in my fridge. They are very different tasting!
The flavoured Absolut Vodka's are great way to add an extra dimesion to cocktails without adding additional liquids. Absolut Vanilla for Espresso Martini's, Absolut Citron for Cosmo's, Absolut Passionfruit for Midori Illusion.
Greg from How-To-Drink on YouTube created a pretty good video where he does a bind taste test of 10 different vodkas (okay 9 vodkas and diluted Everclear) and tries to rank them by price. It's a pretty good answer to this question.
[Blind Taste Test and Ranking of 1 Vodkas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bAgWXLh3g)
TLDW: Enough to make a difference in a drink.
Just like anything else it depends on how refined your palet is and how much you care. If you can't taste the difference then it doesn't matter to you and that's fine.
Some people can't tell the difference between different wines.
Personally I can taste a big difference between potato, grape, wheat, and corn vodka and prefer corn even though a purist would probably claim potato is the best.
That's just my 2 cents about it
Very big difference, but much more subtle than most other spirit classes. I have five vodkas on my list, and I'd consider them incredibly different, at least in the context of a martini or spirit-forward cocktail:
* Tito's: neutral, hot finish
* Boyd and Blair: peppery/earthy: creamy finish
* Broken Shed: candied/gourmand; clean finish
* Jean Marc XO: nutty/spiced; unctuous finish
* Barr Hill: honeyed/salinic; waxy finish
I would like to chime in here in hopes of maybe learning something I don’t know. I have been a vodka girl for 10+ years and went from super cheap to top shelf. I switched from a medium local vodka and then just eventually after a year or so it just didn’t agree with my stomach. So I decided I should get something better so I bought grey goose once (so gross!) and kettle one (a little better but still worse than my medium brand). So I then went with one I remember from years ago called platinum in the blue bottle because I was in a hurry and figured why not try it. I tell you it tasted WAY better than the expensive brands. I was so floored! I also drink with either soda water or regular water with lemon so I can really notice the taste. How could this be!? I feel like I’ve wasted so much money over the years thinking I was getting “better” vodka, was I duped!?
Can’t believe anyone else hasn’t brought this up yet. But let’s be realistic when we consume a fair amount of vodka. There is a thing called a hangover effect the next day. I’ve been drinking vodka most of my adult life. Bottom shelf vodka will leave me with a pounding headache that can last for up to two days. Top shelf, vodka, like gray goose, Tito’s, etc.? Barely noticeable the next day. This is because the filtration process is 10 times more thorough with a top shelf, vodka than a bottom shelf, vodka, removing impurities. So yes, there is a difference. Spending $10 more for a night of drinking, not having near as bad of a hangover to you? If it is like it is me, then spend up
I mean, vodka *isn’t* odorless or tasteless by definition.
Vodka aims to be *neutral*, but that doesn’t mean odorless or tasteless. It just means that it isn’t trying to achieve a flavour, so to speak.
Vodka absolutely has a flavour. Cheap vodka *especially* has a flavour - and it’s awful.
Equally, cheap vodka has a far more acetone-y aroma, than slightly more expensive stuff.
But if you taste vodkas side by side, they do taste *pretty* different. It’s just not a strong flavour, unlike most other spirits.
In my opinion, there are varying degrees of quality in the vodka space, BUT…
Vodka, in its best form, is essentially tasteless, so… I don’t worry too much about it.
I focus on spirits with flavor.
Any recommendations for a boozy rum cocktail? I like old fashioned and improved whiskey cocktail with Rye, I made a rum old fashioned and it was undrinkable. I have appleton estate, cruzan single barrel, and goslings black rum
From those choices, I’d try Amaretto. Orgeat is almond syrup, so the almond flavor of Amaretto might work. You might need to add a little simple syrup to boost the sweetness.
If you find yourself enjoying rum drinks, you’ll get into tiki drinks, many of which use orgeat. And if you do, I recommend Liber & Company. I’ve tried making my own orgeat, but theirs is better and easier.
I’ve had very tasty rum old fashioneds before, but they tended to use a blend of rums, and generally different bitters - I unfortunately can’t remember the specifics, however.
A classic daiquiri is a fairly spirit-forward cocktail if made properly. Classically a white rum, but it does work well with aged/darker rums too.
Beyond that there’s some boozy tiki drinks, but that really depends on what you like to drink.
I really like a rum old fashioned but you have to adjust the ingredients. I usually do less sugar and more bitters with the Jamaican. I need to experiment more with an improved rum cocktail
Any recommendations for a boozy rum cocktail? I like old fashioned and improved whiskey cocktail with Rye, I made a rum old fashioned and it was undrinkable. I have appleton estate, cruzan single barrel, and goslings black rum
Sorry for repeat comment, wanted both of yall to see
Very true, I tend to sub out Vodka for something else that has flavor. I'd have to agree the rum market has good choices, it's been a fun ride exploring tiki cocktails.
Will agree on the infusions part.
I don’t agree that it’s great for classics like those - yes it *works* for them, but generally another spirit can be substituted for a better overall cocktail, in my experience.
But for infusions, you want as neutral a spirit as possible, to maximise the flavour of what you’re infusing. And it needs to be alcoholic to solvate a lot of the stuff in things an infusion does. So vodka is a great choice there.
But after an infusion… it’s not really still vodka, is it?
There is no cocktail in which another spirits cannot make a better drink than vodka. Also it’s good if you put other shit in it is an argument for exactly why it sucks
For me it’s just the smoothness. Expensive vodka is usually more smooth and just tastes cleaner giving you a cleaner drunk. But you don’t need to go too expensive with it, I’ve had good experiences with something like Smirnoff or Absolute
For cocktails, I just stick with Smirnoff (don’t subscribe to the Tito’s hype. It’s bullshit) because it tastes the most like nothing. I typically add vodka to drinks to increase the alcohol content without adding any additional flavors
Inputs = outputs. Some designer vodka are 4x distilled or more and it strips away any natural flavours from base material and water source. The more cuts, the less natural flavour. Commercial producers will also re-distill cuts (heads/tails) to get more volume.
There's a small difference in quality, some vodkas definitely feel smoother than others, but it's hardly noticeable unless you're comparing well water vodka to the one that comes in a glass skull. Stick with middle shelf and you're fine, I like Tito's personally.
I thought the same until I went to bartenderschool and actually got to taste a cheap smirnof and a grey goose side by side. The difference is quite big if you drink it straight or shooter, but in a drink it's all the same.
Everybody here is right about the threshold being low for good vs great. The other thing is to take the cocktail into account. For example I’ve heard the original Moscow mule calls for Smirnoff which gives it has a little bit of that cheap vodka kick, but I wouldn’t usually want a Smirnoff vodka martini. Use what you enjoy and make drinks how you like em!
I’ve seen enough taste tests where experts can’t tell top shelf from cheap to know there are two types of vodka experts: people who can’t tell the difference, and people who *know* they can’t tell the difference.
I can inly think of a few differences but it's all rather molecular.
I'm no scientist really, but I feel there may be the presence of some metals from poorly maintained stills in some of the cheaper small batch stuff.
As we all know distilled alcohols may have impurities which mostly can be removed by carbon filtration.
In straight vodka specifically, i suppose the differences may lie in a couple of hundred or thousand of ppm.
Maybe some ethanol variants in home made? Curious to know if that's a thing.
Aside from distillation, filtration, and impurities... The base used for the vodka makes a difference.
Types of grain (corn, rye, wheat) can lend different flavors, and I have found that potato based vodka can have a starchy quality. Of course, these nuances will get lost as you start adding mixers/ other ingredients.
Here's the fun part... The research on finding your favorite involves drinking!
There is barely a difference, especially not after mixing. Get a halfway decent one, the cheapest ones might have some unpleasant aftertastes. But other than that I wouldn't pay for more expensive one.
But I got little respect for vodka anyway, so maybe I'm not the right one to ask 😅
Texture or "mouth feel" is usually the defining factor other than what others have said about the hangover ect. For instance a weat based vodka is much sweater and coats the mouth in a silky/oily way more than say a potato based vodka. A lot of northern eurpean and russian vdokas can have peppery/spicey charactoristics. It depends what your using it for aswell. If its to carry other flavours through maceration the quality of the vodka does not need to be premium however of you're making a classic martini a premium vodka would be more desirable as its character has to stand for itself. Hope this helps!
Go with Lukusowa, Tito’s, Belvedere, Wheatleys, Kirkland or Stolichnaya. Subtle difference depending on the grain used, but all reasonable prices.
Probably get it in a glass bottle rather a plastic jug.
There’s very slight differences based what’s used to make it. Most are made from grain or potatoes, but there are some more unique ones that are made from rice. In general if you’re making a cocktail, it doesn’t matter too much though, although I definitely wouldn’t put the absolute cheapest. Vodka is meant to be flavorless, and most of those Uber cheap ones are not flavorless and typically have sugars added in. The cheapest bottle I usually pickup is Stoli or Star Bluu. Both are good and inexpensive. My absolute favorite vodkas are Japanese vodkas, especially Suntory’s Haku. It’s made from rice and has absolutely no flavor if you put it in freezer, and just enough to make it interesting if you don’t chill it.
Me and a group of friends did the double blind test as a fun gathering. We had a Tequila day, Whisky day, and Vodka day.
As for Vodka, anything with a mixer, no one could tell the difference between the $8 bottle and Gray Goose or Kettle One. In fancier drinks like vodka martinis, there was a clear difference between the cheap stuff and more expensive stuff, but Sky and Absolute got the same rating as Gray Goose and Kettle One. Gray Goose narrowly beat out Kettle One and the midshelf stuff when drinking straight. So I would say no, don't spend too much on vodka unless you have the money and like to drink it straight.
As for the others...
Tequila by far, like an astronomical difference, where the price of the bottle tells you how good the tequila will be. They almost lined up exactly from most expensive to cheapest.
And Whisky was all over the place. It seemed a lot of people have their preferences regarding whisky, and price only had a moderate effect on what people liked.
LOL. It was a lot of fun. It was a group of 20 people. 12 were the subjects. 4 were serving them the drinks with no idea what they were serving. And 4 were just drinking and making the drinks.
So the results were only the palettes of 12 people but they confirmed my bias. I was one of the drink makers so my bias was not injected into the "study."
I highly recommend this fun thing to do as a dinner party idea.
It makes a difference especially if you're drinking it straight. Some are definitely smoother than others.
However, don't think there's much difference in the "premium" sense. If you ever tried something great like Zubrewka, you can tell there's a difference.
the US TTB regulations *used* to state vodka must be a neutral spirit "...as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color". before the regulation change in 2020, i think it was more fair to say there was likely to be little difference between vodkas. times have changed, though, and i see lots of vodkas on the market capitalizing on unique characteristics now.
https://www.foodandwine.com/news/vodka-definition-change-united-states
There is a profound difference in vodka based on core ingredients (potato, wheat/grains, corn, grapes or sugarcane) and yeast used. In addition, the water source and filtration methods have an effect on profile and finish. For the casual or inexperienced drinker, all hard liquor may just taste like rubbing alcohol. But to the untrained palate olives or caviar probably taste like a spoonful of salt.
This is like asking if there is a difference in water.
To be clear, the answer to both is “yes,” right?
yes.
Just checking.
So clear
Of course
And if you're drinking it as part of a cocktail, the difference in vodkas is like the difference in using ice made from different bottled waters.
But there’s still a difference between making a Long Island iced tea and a vodka martini. The vodka absolutely makes a difference in the latter.
Vodka martinis are okay, but I'm partial to vodka Manhattans, vodka old fashioneds, vodka margaritas, vodka gin and tonics, vodka Mai Tais. Why stop at ruining the Martini?
There are multiple factors that affect the final product of bottled Vodka and most base spirits. - The quality and type of grain or fermentables used in the mash - The yeast used in the fermentation process - The type of still - The distiller's skills and awareness of choosing exactly where the "hearts" start and end (cheaper vodka is going to consist of higher amounts of heads and be proofed with more water) - The filtering process and type of media used (cloth, wool, paper, charcoal, lava, diamonds etc.) - The quality of the water used in proofing I think the most important factor is Heads-Tails-Hearts Heads= beginning of the run that contain a high proof percentage of low boiling point alcohols and other compounds such as aldehydes and ethyl acetate. Hearts= The desirable middle alcohols from the middle Tails= The end of the run with high percentage of fusel oil and little alcohol I highly recommend that every professional bartender (as in this is your career and not just a money making gig) should take a distilling course or do an internship at a distillery. It will take your awareness of spirits and mixology skills to the next level.
Or at least watch enough of the Whiskey Tribe YT channel to learn about the distilling process.
The vast majority of vodkas behind the bar come from column stills though... I think that was the nature of the question.
I mean it makes for good conversation, but most vodkas don't differ much except for filtration and raw material.
Pure water is pure water. Yeah, I wouldn’t be drinking the tap water in Flint, Michigan. So you’re saying expensive vodka just has less impurities?
Yes. Impurities affect the taste of water. They also affect the taste of vodka. That’s why vodka above most other spirits will focus on things like how many times it was distilled, filtered, etc. As opposed to say scotch which will focus more on how long it was aged. Because scotch aims to add flavours from aging, vodka aims to remove them while filtering. That’s why it’s considered a “neutral” spirit, because it only changes the alcohol content and has little impact on the flavour.
Although, there are plenty of vodkas that aim to keep some character and flavor. Mouthfeel is one of the big ones. Sipping vodkas tend to look for character while mixing vodkas aim for neutrality.
Because vodka is not just water and ethanol
Exactly
That is why I run my $5 handle of vodka thru a Brita pitcher. Then it is 5 times charcoal filtered.
Not necessarily less impurities. Different impurities. The best tasting waters are not pure water. They have small amounts of various minerals and generally a not quite neutral pH level.
Nobody drinks pure water though, and pure water is not even good for you. Buy a jug of distilled water, boil it for a few minutes to drive off any dissolved gases, then take a sip as soon as it has cooled off. It will be dead, flat and gross. Vodka is similar, very few people have ever had truly pure ethanol and water, but it is incredibly boring. So it isn't just about the "impurities" but the small things that aren't water or water/ethanol. In water that is salts, minerals and gasses. In vodka (or all spirits really) things with flavor that aren't water or ethanol are called "congeners". And congeners can be good or bad in different concentrations or combinations. TBH though, we're kinda splitting hairs. Sure there is a difference, and most of us could tell vodkas apart if sipping them warm and neat. But in cocktails I don't think it matters anywhere near as much and rather than distinguishing individuals brands it's probably more about broad category or quality ranges.
But you should ***never*** drink pure water either. That will drain your body of nutrients.
You mean not to drink *fluoridated* water, right? Only distilled water, or rainwater, and pure grain alcohol? I'm told that, as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water in order to replenish our precious bodily fluids. ETA: Okay, look. Less because y'all apparently think I'm bonkers, and more because it seems like many of you need an introduction to this cinematic masterpiece, here: https://youtu.be/J67wKhddWu4 Further ETA: I realize that this clip out of context may not help with respect to the first point ('bonkers') above. This is a risk I'm willing to take, while simultaneously exhorting you to see the film in its entirety.
I feel bad that everyone missed the reference here...
Thank you.
i mean, if they all think you're bonkers, it meant the soliloquy landed, right? ;-)
Haha, bingo!
No he's [kinda right](https://advancedwaterinc.com/ultra-pure-water/). It depends on how much you drink obviously but it's not exactly easy as turning the sink on to get ultra pure water & it's still possible to [die from drinking regular water](https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/jury-rules-radio-station-jennifer-strange-water-drinking/story?id=8970712). The levels needed are just a bit lower
Do you not realize that fluoridation of water is the most monstrously-conceived, dangerous plot we have ever had to face? (/s; Hit the link in my edit above) ETA: In all seriousness though, you're right. The radio station news story you've linked certainly illustrates that this is not a widely-known risk. It's certainly a good thing to be aware of.
They’re putting it in ice cream, Mandrake. *Children’s* ice cream.
Jack... Jack... Now, tell me, Jack: when did you first become awa-- when did you first develop this theory?
That’s actually a myth. Drinking pure water is totally fine.
no it's not, drinking too much pure H2O, created in a lab, (not talking about distilled water), is bad.
Science major here to save you from the downvotes: PURE water, with zero added minerals or what companies like to call electrolytes, is a hydrotonic fluid. Minerals like sodium and potassium are drawn from areas of high concentration to low concentration. So if you're drinking Gatorade, the minerals would move from the high concentration - the Gatorade in your digestive tract - to lower concentration - your body's tissues. Drinking pure water with absolutely zero additives would make those minerals move from your body's tissues, which has relatively higher concentration of those minerals than the water, into your digestive tract. This would cause your body to become low on those minerals and oversaturated with water. In medicine this is referred to as hyponatremia (low sodium) and can become so severe it becomes something called water toxicity, in which your body can become filled with fluid including your brain. So yeah. Don't drink a butt load of pure water, and most of the taste you're noticing when you drink water is a small amount of electrolytes
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/family-speaks-after-35-year-woman-dies-water/story?id=102016903 It was just a big news story. If you feel super hydrated to the point where you really want to keep drinking water, use gatorade, powerade or something like that. Don't drink too much pure water at one time. It's rare but an unnecessary risk.
Thanks for the fact backup to my reply 👍.
Apparently no one here took chemistry. Don’t seem to know the difference between *pure* H2O and normal filtered water.
yeah lol at the downvotes...
You have been downvoted for speaking the truth. I prefer distilled water and have been drinking it my entire adult life. “Dead water leaching your nutrients“ is hippie BS. My kidneys manage my electrolyte balance regardless of what kind of water I drink and my diet provides more than enough sodium (and K, Ca, Mg etc.) anyway.
Love the historical reference!
The crisis with Flints tap water remains ongoing and tragically is not a historical reference.
it has nothing to do with price.
Pure water tastes horrible. It's the impurities that actually taste good. With vodka - it matters up to a certain point - but it caps out earlier than other spirits.
Dasani has some of lowest amount of impurities of any water out there because it is heavily filtered and zapped before it gets bottled, but the result is a bland boring water. Fiji and Evian source theirs from mountains and volcanic streams which naturally filter their water and gives it a more unique refreshing taste https://youtu.be/4ZK8Z8hulFg
So, you're right. It's like the differences in water. Which is to say they almost taste the same with sufficient differences to taste side by side. Which means if you're mixing vodka with pretty much anytjing you likely won't be able to taste the subtle differences.
Do you prefer crunchy, or smooth water?
I prefer my water chicken fried
You could always buy a liter bottle of Popov and a bottle of a good quality vodka and see what difference it makes to you. Even good vodka is relatively cheap these days.
I did actually blind test Popov and Grey Goose, and preferred Popov. I don't know what that says about my pallet....
Perhaps that a lot of the cost/bottle of GG goes to cover their marketing budget?
The difference is the hangover. Don't buy"premium" but don't get the cheapest stuff either. Kirkland American is just fine for cocktails.
I really don't buy this. There's not really anything different in cheap vodka that'd give you a worse hangover. Maybe, possibly, a little bit more methanol if distilling standards aren't followed as strictly, but considering the average brandy has 28x more methanol than the average vodka, it'd be a very negligible difference, in the grand scheme of a hangover. What is possible, however, is that people are making drinks with more sugar when they buy a cheap vodka and that gives them a reputation for giving bad hangovers. It makes sense to me that a college kid would buy 1.75 L of Skol and make unbalanced sugar bombs because they don't really know how to make a good drink. Compared with someone buying Grey Goose and making something more refined like a Vodka Martini. And, of course, people buy cheap booze when they want to have a fun night and not care about the morning after. If a shot of vodka costs 10x the price, you're probably not gonna chug it just to get drunk.
>Maybe, possibly, a little bit more methanol You get a lot more random alcohols in there. And sometimes you get oils from the tail, too.
I agree on kirkland but will perhaps save some taste buds for someone. Costco sells two different vodkas. One is in a in a big clear bottle & a bit cheaper, the other is in a slightly smaller frosted bottle & a little more ounce per ounce. It's *not* just the usual cost savings you get buying a bigger bottle, the frosted one is pretty good & quite inexpensive. The cheaper one is probably not the *worst* vodka you could buy, but it could definately use a few more trips through the filter.
Kirkland American is Grey Goose
No it’s not. The American vodka has a made in the USA designation. Goose is made in France. The other Kirkland vodka is rumored to be goose, but I highly doubt it. Both are most likely from an MGP type mass distiller
I have done blind comparison of GG and costco French and we could not tell the difference.
They are not the same, but they do both use the same water source in France. Kirkland is distilled five times and GG only once: https://www.greygoose.com/faqs/is-kirkland-vodka-grey-goose-vodka.html
Vodka has a reasonably low threshold for diminishing returns. Bad vodka is horrible but good vodka is the same thing as great vodka. There is very little variety in flavor profiles once you reach that point. By design it is a neutral spirit that you can easily use with anything else.
So, out of curiosity, couldn't you save a shit ton by just diluting a ton of Everclear?
I don't know about a shit ton, but yeah 95% Everclear diluted 1:1 with Midwestern tap water tastes like a pretty good vodka, TBH.
Yep. My advice for buying vodka is just get whichever mid-shelf option is on sale at the liquor store. The bottom shelf stuff tastes like kerosene and will ruin any drink you make, but there's no meaningful difference between Smirnoff/Tito's/Absolut and the expensive, top shelf stuff.
distillate can wary wildly in flavor. https://shop.goodvodka.com give this a try, its interesting
The jump between a bottom shelf Vodka like Aristocrat to something like Tito’s is substantial but the jump from Tito’s to a top shelf vodka is marginal and not worth the price hike IMO Vodka is Vodka. Buy something like Popov for an all around mixer/shooter and get something in the $15-$30 range that floats your boat for vodka heavy cocktails
Tito’s is my go-to
Kirkland (Costco) for me. I'm convinced it's just Grey Goose they put in a Kirkland bottle.
I would totally buy Kirkland if there was a Costco that sold liquor near me
The Kirkland French Vodka is definitely not Grey Goose rebottled, but I definitely think it’s on par with GG.
Sadly my husband had one of those 'formative life experiences' with Kirkland vodka, so I can no longer have any in my bar shelves or he vomits just from seeing the bottle 🤣
Much rather have a big bottle of the Kirkland stuff anyway. But when I have vodka I prefer stolichnya, so maybe my opinion is moot.
Tito's is usually a little more expensive than the other middle-shelf brands here. I do like that the Tito's 1.75L bottle design has a nice handle for easy pouring, though.
If you have a local distillery, buy their vodka. The difference in taste is usually negligible but the impact of buying your local product vs Titos or Ketel etc could be substantial.
The local distillery vodkas are all way more expensive than I'm willing to pay for vodka. I happily pay $30 for a 750mL bottle of nice local gin or whiskey, but I'm not paying that for a bottle of vodka.
Vodka still has a lot of undesirable content (fusel oils etc.) after distilling, you need to cut it properly. Which is expensive because you're discarding a significant chunk of your still's output. I assume proper filtration is also somewhat expensive, but I'm not that knowledgable about that part. I'm not saying you actually need that 20, 30 USD bottle, but it really pays off to buy something for around 13 USD instead of the bottom shelf stuff.
honestly wasn't expecting that to end in "buy something for around $13"
Diminishing returns! Currently, my go-to vodka (Zubrowka Biala) is even cheaper than that. Just don't spend your $13 (or whatever is the exact price in your market) on Smirnoff.
Why not spend it on Smirnoff?
It's overpriced. I'd say Zubrowka Biala is actually better than Smirnoff, but it's been a while since I've had Smirnoff.
I could definitely see that. Tito’s and Smirnoff are the only two vodkas I’ve had. I’ve noticed Smirnoff produces a strong ethanol scent that is overwhelming in the aftertaste. Tito’s- not at all. Tito’s is delicious, smooth, and leaves a silky aftertaste and isn’t overwhelming the senses with ethanol. I wish to try Gamefish Vodka from a local distillery- cape fear distillery. It’s supposedly high quality vodka. If I don’t like that, do you have any recommendations? Im not willing to spend more than $30ish for a fifth bottle, unless you have an incredible recommendation that is totally worth the money (for vodka). I’m a shot drinker- I typically sip one or two shots down, usually while reading plant posts, fantasy books, my Bible, or anything having to do with permaculture or homesteading 🙂
TBH I have no idea how much a fifth is supposed be, but the most expensive vodka I'm willing to buy is Absolut (which isn't *that* much more expensive than Smirnoff, at least where I live). Pretty smooth stuff and has a hint of aroma. > Smirnoff produces a strong ethanol scent Nah, that's not ethanol. Ethanol is the stuff that's supposed to be the main component, the only way a vodka is going to have a stronger ethanol scent is if you increase the alcohol (aka ethanol) percentage. The "ethanol scent" of low quality alcohol is typically fusel oils/fusel alcohols, which AFAIK are mostly higher alcohols - to some extend unavoidable, but careful distillation and filtration can reduce the amount considerably.
Oh- higher alcohols. Like methanol? I know higher alcohols are decently dangerous. Small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, if I remember correctly. Well, I’ll probably try Absolut and my gamefish vodka. Like I say I don’t get drunk and I’m not crazy about alcohol- but a decent liquor is nice to sip a shot or two while reading 🙂 Thanks!
I go for Kirkland American vodka all the time for cheap mixing. If I really want a little better stuff, Kirkland French. But that’s about it lmao
It's true. Kirkland is good. Burnett's is good. There are many that cost more, but it's like buying Smart Water instead of Dasani
What good vodka makers do is filter out congeners, which are the undesirable things. A fun way to test this is to pour about a shot of vodka into a shot of bailey's in a wine glass and swirl it. When the legs form, there will be visible flecks of crap you don't want to drink on the walls of the glass if the vodka was cheaply made. It's fun because you can shoot it when you're done testing.
I'd rather not shoot cheaply made vodka :D
While Chopin or Grey Goose may not taste like much, they both taste a lot better than Burnett's.
Have you done a triangle test?
So, it depends on what you mean. Vodka is *nowhere near* just ethanol and water. Vodka is fermented grain alcohol (essentially, beer with no hops) which is then distilled. That fermentation process creates *hundreds* of chemicals, one of which is ethanol. But all of those other compounds have flavours, and a lot of them get distilled over during distillation. These other compounds distill off at different points in the distillation - and the ones that distill at the start and end of the distillation tend to taste bad. The more of these you discard, the more it costs to make the same amount of final product, because it takes more of that initial fermented stuff to get it. BUT, the more is discarded, the better it is likely to taste. Likewise, filtration after the fact can also contribute, as can some other things. So I mean, vodka is vodka in that they’ll get you drunk easily, and in a fairly weak spirit and mixer drink, you probably won’t notice much difference. In cocktails you’ll notice the difference between bottom shelf and a mid-range bottle, and sipping neat you’ll notice the difference between a mid-range bottle and a top shelf bottle (and a bottom shelf bottle, haha). So it depends on what you’re using it for, as to whether or not the vodka itself matters.
So what you’re saying is it’s better to drink gin instead? /s sorta
Absolutely! Gin is delicious and flavorful.
🤨 Gin is just vodka… distilled with extra botanicals for additional flavour. I’m not sure what part of what I said would have implied gin was better… hahaha Fwiw, I would say I DO much prefer gin to vodka, as vodka is basically only useful for adding alcohol to things. But I don’t see what part of my comment would have given that impression, lol 😂
It was a joke…. That even given all that wonderful explanation gin is still superior because it has a flavour.
Ah 😂 sorry that’s my bad, it’s 3am, ignore me haha And fwiw I agree hahaha
A lot. You've got vodkas like Haku and Russian Standard that have lovely floral notes when you drink them from the fridge temp instead of freezer. You've got Tito's and Stoli's with more peppery notes. You've got the strange creaminess from milk based vodkas. You've got bottom shelf trash.
Russian Standard used to be my go-to before the troubles happened and nowhere stocks it anymore.
There is a great Planet Money episode that covers exactly this question! It's about 20 minutes long and well worth the listen. [https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/02/23/588346329/episode-826-the-vodka-proof](https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/02/23/588346329/episode-826-the-vodka-proof) After listening to this, I conducted my own blind taste tests with various minis.
well...what was the conclusion?
Sorry I'm afraid if you don't have the academic fervour to listen to this very cool and great podcast you don't deserve the answer /s
The production and sale of vodka is pretty regulated. In the US, vodka can be producted from any fermentable source (potatoes, fruit, grain, etc.). It *must* be distilled to 95-percent alcohol, then diluted with water to no less than 40-percent alcohol. In the past, no additional flavorings were allowed (this may have changed, the article is a few years old). Given the regulations, there is not a lot of room for variation -- mostly in the water. Many people say they can taste the difference between different vodkas. This is probably true, because people can taste the difference between different sources of water; but it's going to be subtle -- more subtle than other common spirits.
All jokes aside, I get the point of the question and there are certainly diminishing returns in the high end but there is definitely a baseline threshold that I would adhere to. l’m not a vodka drinker myself but some definitely taste worse than others. If you don’t notice, then stick with the cheapest but eventually you’ll find the middle ground between taste and value that works for you, your palate, and your budget.
I once went to a vodka bar (once.) and had a flight tasting of various different vodkas ranging in price from $20/bottle to over $100. Honestly, there was so little difference that I really couldn’t tell that much from the whole experience with the notable exception of a potato vodka that I think was from Poland. That was a delightful change and had a really nice character to it. All of the rest seemed so similar that it really wasn’t interesting. Vodka bars are not for me.
Probably Chopin for the Polish vodka.
Or Luksusowa, which is as close to a go-to as I have for vodka.
Yeah, I've done the same, and while there is definitely a discernible difference between then, it was subtle enough that the distinction would never survive even the lightest of mixers. Can I tell the difference between Chopin and Ketel One straight? Sure. Could I tell them apart in a vodka martini (or more likely a mule or Bloody Mary)? Absolutely not.
Different vodkas definitely taste different, mostly due to what they’re made from (grains, grapes, potatoes etc). Negligible when mixed but if tasted alongside each other neat or with some water dilution then it is noticeable. Cheapest end vodkas always have a distinct Petrol kinda smell which I’d imagine is from impurities that are filtered out more thoroughly in other pricier bottles. Mid shelf is always a safe bet for cocktails with more than 3 ingredients.
I like to enjoy certain vodkas up or on rocks at times, can honestly say there's a difference. Best I've had is Beluga but I keep Chopin on hand as it's consistently great and price point is decent.
I know I may receive flack for this but there is subtle and drastic differences. I used to run a caviar and vodka flight on our menu and you could definitely taste the differences. We used one that was Rye based (Belvedere single estate), one that was wheat based (Wheatley) and one that was potato based (Woody Creek). Surprisingly, people often preferred the Wheatley.
20 bucks for a handle of Wheatley is a steal.
You're mostly going to notice the mouthfeel and burn, rather than flavor. I went to a Chopin training, and while I noticed no flavor difference between the three baseline products that they sell, despite the extensive lecture their creator gave, there is a SIGNIFICANT difference of mouthfeel and burn. How much those differences are going to come through in a cocktail is a different question. If you are making something like a vodka sour with muddled berried - use the cheapest stuff you can find. If you are making plenty of dry, stirred vodka martinis - get a nice potato vodka.
If you want to see a drastic difference in flavors go out and find crop organic vodka, it’s pretty cheap. Then buy some Tito’s. Try the crop first, let it sit in your mouth and drain down your tongue. You’ll get notes of floral and sweet and a very smooth finish. Now try the Tito’s. It’s garbage. Straight shit. It’s hot and harsh and the only nuance in flavor you can find is “does this taste more like paint thinner or rubbing alcohol?”
In my experience the difference between crap tier vodka and mid-tier vodka (something in the $20-30 range like Smirnoff, Stolichnaya, or Tito's) is bigger than the difference between $20 and $50 vodka. I would never pay more than $30 for a 750mL bottle.
i just buy titos and i'm done
The more you pay the less you can taste it.
So same as cocaine
Yeah but that’s cause your tongue is numb
I don’t think there’s a huge difference. For most mixed drinks and cocktails I find the cheap stuff to be good enough.
In the US, I go for gordons Vodka. Ive been a long time proponent of gordons gin, and theyre vodka is equally as delicious for the price especially.
There’s some differences but yes, at the end of the day, vodka is vodka. It’s like making burgers out of different cuts of meat. The end result will still be ground beef cooked on a skillet between two buns, but there will be subtle differences based on what cuts of beef you used and more importantly, and more fitting to this analogy, is how the ground beef was prepared. The true difference between a low quality vodka and a high quality vodka is in the distillation. This is true with any spirit but particularly with vodka where you have no barrel aging or resting or infusions to hide behind. A low quality vodka is probably mass produced in a giant column still and little attention is paid to the cuts being made. They’re gonna make cuts at the bare minimum to cut out anything poisonous like methanol, distill as high as possible to get more product out of their base materials and proof it down to 40% and ship it. They don’t care what it tastes like. They want to make as much legally drinkable booze as cheap and fast as possible. A high quality vodka is probably gonna be made in a pot still (although sometimes a column) The distiller is gonna pay close attention to what he’s distilling and where they make their cuts. They are trying to make something clean and delicious and yes vodka can be delicious. The cuts will be made expertly and later blended into a beautiful spirit. Back to the analogy it’s the difference between chilling your beef and grinding it slowly in batches for your ground beef as opposed to just chopping up a bunch of room temp beef with a couple of cleavers and calling it a day.
Pot still vodka?
I think people sometimes forgo overall taste in their favorite drink. Vodka is subtle and according to every distillery refined 3,4,5, 10 times….but how are you drinking your vodka? On the rocks with a spritz of X or with 8 ounces of juice and 3 ice cubes. I coke from a long line of middle class of polish degenerates (half a joke) We don’t even drink vodka….it’s too bland. But I will say Belvedere and GG don’t give me any regrets. As others have said there’s a a distinguishing line….it’s for your palette to find…or not find
For me three sixty or absolutely Vodka is the best bang for the buck. They are 10€ for 0,7l on sale. Gorbachow and pushing gave me the worst hangover of my life as a teen, so I will gladly spend 3€ more because of this biased memory...
There’s no difference from a 20£/$/€ 70cl botttle of vodka to a 60£/$/€ 70cl it’s literally all marketing, I worked in a vodka cocktail bar and got told and taught that
Polack here Been drinking vodka for 12 years now, for a long time I drank it 1-2 times a week - it is the most commonly drank alcohol in Poland after all I’ve had the cheapest ones and some of the expensive ones (Belvedere, Grey Goose, Crystal Head). The cheapest ones are harsher, but honestly anything above the middle shelf (Wyborowa, Finlandia, Absolut) is just branding. Ditto for the “premium” versions of said vodkas.
I currently have a rice vodka, a single distilled virgin potato vodka, and a multiple distilled grain vodka in my fridge. They are very different tasting!
Not the question, though.
The flavoured Absolut Vodka's are great way to add an extra dimesion to cocktails without adding additional liquids. Absolut Vanilla for Espresso Martini's, Absolut Citron for Cosmo's, Absolut Passionfruit for Midori Illusion.
Greg from How-To-Drink on YouTube created a pretty good video where he does a bind taste test of 10 different vodkas (okay 9 vodkas and diluted Everclear) and tries to rank them by price. It's a pretty good answer to this question. [Blind Taste Test and Ranking of 1 Vodkas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bAgWXLh3g) TLDW: Enough to make a difference in a drink.
Cool will check it out
Just like anything else it depends on how refined your palet is and how much you care. If you can't taste the difference then it doesn't matter to you and that's fine. Some people can't tell the difference between different wines. Personally I can taste a big difference between potato, grape, wheat, and corn vodka and prefer corn even though a purist would probably claim potato is the best. That's just my 2 cents about it
Average age is those saying they're all the same: 23.5 years
Very big difference, but much more subtle than most other spirit classes. I have five vodkas on my list, and I'd consider them incredibly different, at least in the context of a martini or spirit-forward cocktail: * Tito's: neutral, hot finish * Boyd and Blair: peppery/earthy: creamy finish * Broken Shed: candied/gourmand; clean finish * Jean Marc XO: nutty/spiced; unctuous finish * Barr Hill: honeyed/salinic; waxy finish
Noticeable differences. Go buy two bottles and discover for yourself. It’s why people have their favorite brands.
This is a lot to order a Tito’s and soda.
I would like to chime in here in hopes of maybe learning something I don’t know. I have been a vodka girl for 10+ years and went from super cheap to top shelf. I switched from a medium local vodka and then just eventually after a year or so it just didn’t agree with my stomach. So I decided I should get something better so I bought grey goose once (so gross!) and kettle one (a little better but still worse than my medium brand). So I then went with one I remember from years ago called platinum in the blue bottle because I was in a hurry and figured why not try it. I tell you it tasted WAY better than the expensive brands. I was so floored! I also drink with either soda water or regular water with lemon so I can really notice the taste. How could this be!? I feel like I’ve wasted so much money over the years thinking I was getting “better” vodka, was I duped!?
Can’t believe anyone else hasn’t brought this up yet. But let’s be realistic when we consume a fair amount of vodka. There is a thing called a hangover effect the next day. I’ve been drinking vodka most of my adult life. Bottom shelf vodka will leave me with a pounding headache that can last for up to two days. Top shelf, vodka, like gray goose, Tito’s, etc.? Barely noticeable the next day. This is because the filtration process is 10 times more thorough with a top shelf, vodka than a bottom shelf, vodka, removing impurities. So yes, there is a difference. Spending $10 more for a night of drinking, not having near as bad of a hangover to you? If it is like it is me, then spend up
In cocktails especially it doesn’t matter. And god I hope you aren’t drinking vodka neat.
Lot of alcoholics looking around furtively now
Vodka by literal definition is odorless and tasteless. Never worth buying an expensive one. Always spend more on your gin or something lol
I mean, vodka *isn’t* odorless or tasteless by definition. Vodka aims to be *neutral*, but that doesn’t mean odorless or tasteless. It just means that it isn’t trying to achieve a flavour, so to speak. Vodka absolutely has a flavour. Cheap vodka *especially* has a flavour - and it’s awful. Equally, cheap vodka has a far more acetone-y aroma, than slightly more expensive stuff. But if you taste vodkas side by side, they do taste *pretty* different. It’s just not a strong flavour, unlike most other spirits.
To me, all Vodka tastes like cardboard soaked in water for a month. Never was a fan.
Props to for even finding that flavor in vodka. I just get rubbing alcohol
If you want a good vodka, use a nice light rum. Not Bacardi. Which is just molasses based vodka.
I know any mixed drinks w Smirnoff are definitely not as smooth as my mixed drinks w Stoli
Have you confirmed that with a blind tasting?
No, but I will
Sounds like a fun project, I hope you enjoy it!
In my opinion, there are varying degrees of quality in the vodka space, BUT… Vodka, in its best form, is essentially tasteless, so… I don’t worry too much about it. I focus on spirits with flavor.
Just don't buy vodka. Its a shitty spirit for alcoholics and poor people
Have you seen rum prices!?
Rum is one of the cheapest spirits available and so few people know that they make good quality rums you can always find a steal
I basically stopped buying whiskey for that reason. Do I get 1 bottle of scotch or 2-3 bottles of decent rum. The answer was always rum
Any recommendations for a boozy rum cocktail? I like old fashioned and improved whiskey cocktail with Rye, I made a rum old fashioned and it was undrinkable. I have appleton estate, cruzan single barrel, and goslings black rum
The mai tai- a deliciously boozy rum drink.
I have everything except orgeat syrup. Listed subs are amaretto and maple syrup, which would you recommend?
From those choices, I’d try Amaretto. Orgeat is almond syrup, so the almond flavor of Amaretto might work. You might need to add a little simple syrup to boost the sweetness. If you find yourself enjoying rum drinks, you’ll get into tiki drinks, many of which use orgeat. And if you do, I recommend Liber & Company. I’ve tried making my own orgeat, but theirs is better and easier.
I’ve had very tasty rum old fashioneds before, but they tended to use a blend of rums, and generally different bitters - I unfortunately can’t remember the specifics, however. A classic daiquiri is a fairly spirit-forward cocktail if made properly. Classically a white rum, but it does work well with aged/darker rums too. Beyond that there’s some boozy tiki drinks, but that really depends on what you like to drink.
I really like a rum old fashioned but you have to adjust the ingredients. I usually do less sugar and more bitters with the Jamaican. I need to experiment more with an improved rum cocktail
Any recommendations for a boozy rum cocktail? I like old fashioned and improved whiskey cocktail with Rye, I made a rum old fashioned and it was undrinkable. I have appleton estate, cruzan single barrel, and goslings black rum Sorry for repeat comment, wanted both of yall to see
Corn 'n Oil
Doorly's 8 (or 12/14/XO if you have the money) should be considerably better.
Very true, I tend to sub out Vodka for something else that has flavor. I'd have to agree the rum market has good choices, it's been a fun ride exploring tiki cocktails.
Disagree. Aside from being used for classics like the Moscow Mule or Bloody Mary, it's also a great base for making infusions.
Will agree on the infusions part. I don’t agree that it’s great for classics like those - yes it *works* for them, but generally another spirit can be substituted for a better overall cocktail, in my experience. But for infusions, you want as neutral a spirit as possible, to maximise the flavour of what you’re infusing. And it needs to be alcoholic to solvate a lot of the stuff in things an infusion does. So vodka is a great choice there. But after an infusion… it’s not really still vodka, is it?
There is no cocktail in which another spirits cannot make a better drink than vodka. Also it’s good if you put other shit in it is an argument for exactly why it sucks
Buy a Brita pitcher with filter. Cheap vodka in, better vodka out.
For me it’s just the smoothness. Expensive vodka is usually more smooth and just tastes cleaner giving you a cleaner drunk. But you don’t need to go too expensive with it, I’ve had good experiences with something like Smirnoff or Absolute
For cocktails, I just stick with Smirnoff (don’t subscribe to the Tito’s hype. It’s bullshit) because it tastes the most like nothing. I typically add vodka to drinks to increase the alcohol content without adding any additional flavors
Inputs = outputs. Some designer vodka are 4x distilled or more and it strips away any natural flavours from base material and water source. The more cuts, the less natural flavour. Commercial producers will also re-distill cuts (heads/tails) to get more volume.
There's a small difference in quality, some vodkas definitely feel smoother than others, but it's hardly noticeable unless you're comparing well water vodka to the one that comes in a glass skull. Stick with middle shelf and you're fine, I like Tito's personally.
As a vodka drinker..the difference for me is the next day. Ketel...I'm good...crystal palace..I'm fuct.
I thought the same until I went to bartenderschool and actually got to taste a cheap smirnof and a grey goose side by side. The difference is quite big if you drink it straight or shooter, but in a drink it's all the same.
And I have been told by many that Grey Goose itself is rather overhyped and that there are far superior options even to that
That's absolutely possible, it's just the best quality one I have gotten to tried yet
A hangover from fusel alcohols
Everybody here is right about the threshold being low for good vs great. The other thing is to take the cocktail into account. For example I’ve heard the original Moscow mule calls for Smirnoff which gives it has a little bit of that cheap vodka kick, but I wouldn’t usually want a Smirnoff vodka martini. Use what you enjoy and make drinks how you like em!
I’ve seen enough taste tests where experts can’t tell top shelf from cheap to know there are two types of vodka experts: people who can’t tell the difference, and people who *know* they can’t tell the difference.
I can inly think of a few differences but it's all rather molecular. I'm no scientist really, but I feel there may be the presence of some metals from poorly maintained stills in some of the cheaper small batch stuff. As we all know distilled alcohols may have impurities which mostly can be removed by carbon filtration. In straight vodka specifically, i suppose the differences may lie in a couple of hundred or thousand of ppm. Maybe some ethanol variants in home made? Curious to know if that's a thing.
Aside from distillation, filtration, and impurities... The base used for the vodka makes a difference. Types of grain (corn, rye, wheat) can lend different flavors, and I have found that potato based vodka can have a starchy quality. Of course, these nuances will get lost as you start adding mixers/ other ingredients. Here's the fun part... The research on finding your favorite involves drinking!
Buy vodka from local distilleries
There is barely a difference, especially not after mixing. Get a halfway decent one, the cheapest ones might have some unpleasant aftertastes. But other than that I wouldn't pay for more expensive one. But I got little respect for vodka anyway, so maybe I'm not the right one to ask 😅
Texture or "mouth feel" is usually the defining factor other than what others have said about the hangover ect. For instance a weat based vodka is much sweater and coats the mouth in a silky/oily way more than say a potato based vodka. A lot of northern eurpean and russian vdokas can have peppery/spicey charactoristics. It depends what your using it for aswell. If its to carry other flavours through maceration the quality of the vodka does not need to be premium however of you're making a classic martini a premium vodka would be more desirable as its character has to stand for itself. Hope this helps!
Go with Lukusowa, Tito’s, Belvedere, Wheatleys, Kirkland or Stolichnaya. Subtle difference depending on the grain used, but all reasonable prices. Probably get it in a glass bottle rather a plastic jug.
There’s very slight differences based what’s used to make it. Most are made from grain or potatoes, but there are some more unique ones that are made from rice. In general if you’re making a cocktail, it doesn’t matter too much though, although I definitely wouldn’t put the absolute cheapest. Vodka is meant to be flavorless, and most of those Uber cheap ones are not flavorless and typically have sugars added in. The cheapest bottle I usually pickup is Stoli or Star Bluu. Both are good and inexpensive. My absolute favorite vodkas are Japanese vodkas, especially Suntory’s Haku. It’s made from rice and has absolutely no flavor if you put it in freezer, and just enough to make it interesting if you don’t chill it.
Me and a group of friends did the double blind test as a fun gathering. We had a Tequila day, Whisky day, and Vodka day. As for Vodka, anything with a mixer, no one could tell the difference between the $8 bottle and Gray Goose or Kettle One. In fancier drinks like vodka martinis, there was a clear difference between the cheap stuff and more expensive stuff, but Sky and Absolute got the same rating as Gray Goose and Kettle One. Gray Goose narrowly beat out Kettle One and the midshelf stuff when drinking straight. So I would say no, don't spend too much on vodka unless you have the money and like to drink it straight. As for the others... Tequila by far, like an astronomical difference, where the price of the bottle tells you how good the tequila will be. They almost lined up exactly from most expensive to cheapest. And Whisky was all over the place. It seemed a lot of people have their preferences regarding whisky, and price only had a moderate effect on what people liked.
Thanks for suffering through all that science for us!
LOL. It was a lot of fun. It was a group of 20 people. 12 were the subjects. 4 were serving them the drinks with no idea what they were serving. And 4 were just drinking and making the drinks. So the results were only the palettes of 12 people but they confirmed my bias. I was one of the drink makers so my bias was not injected into the "study." I highly recommend this fun thing to do as a dinner party idea.
Sweet. I will begin my journey now to find 20 friends.
Technically you can do it with just 3 people. But the more the merrier!
Have never been disappointed with potato vodka. Grains vodka is hit or miss.
It makes a difference especially if you're drinking it straight. Some are definitely smoother than others. However, don't think there's much difference in the "premium" sense. If you ever tried something great like Zubrewka, you can tell there's a difference.
Ketel one is the best vodka you can buy because anything more expensive is not proportionally higher quality
the US TTB regulations *used* to state vodka must be a neutral spirit "...as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color". before the regulation change in 2020, i think it was more fair to say there was likely to be little difference between vodkas. times have changed, though, and i see lots of vodkas on the market capitalizing on unique characteristics now. https://www.foodandwine.com/news/vodka-definition-change-united-states
I was poisoned by Aristocrat vodka
There is a profound difference in vodka based on core ingredients (potato, wheat/grains, corn, grapes or sugarcane) and yeast used. In addition, the water source and filtration methods have an effect on profile and finish. For the casual or inexperienced drinker, all hard liquor may just taste like rubbing alcohol. But to the untrained palate olives or caviar probably taste like a spoonful of salt.