Vodka Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Grey Goose Vodka

Posted on January 21, 2022January 2, 2022 by Nick

Grey Goose Vodka is a status symbol. Walk into any bar, and you’re likely to find it on the top shelf. The marketing obviously work, as folks that you used to grab Svedka or Stoli suddenly reached upward to a trend avian based vodka. It didn’t just grab vodka fans either. Beer drinkers like my father gradually moved toward martinis from what was mostly beer. As much fun as it is to discuss the malaise of chilled glasses of Grey Goose (keep that vermouth away from my [vodka] martini!), Appletinis, and Cosmopolitans – these were critical steps to revitalizing cocktails. So was Grey Goose worth the expense?

Grey Goose Vodka

Grey Goose’s origin story is that it’s an effort to make a French vodka unlike any other. They accomplish this by using winter wheat from France and water from their spring in the Cognac region of France. So does it make it better?

Sight: Clear

Smell: The nose is clean, presenting ethanol and a light about amount of vanillin and a light amount of cereal grain.

Sip: The body is rich, lanolin, and has just a slight amount of sweetness. The cereal and vanillin notes comes through once more with a hint of the wheat from the distillate.

Savor: The ending has an ethanol note that lays heavily over the top of the vanillin and wheat notes before fading.

Grey Goose Vodka is clean, with few distracting flavors. The lack of real burn or complex flavors is clearly the draw here. It’s important to note that the texture is also quite nice. There are clearly reasons to like Grey Goose if your desire is an unobtrusive vodka.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo the Grey Goose does what it does best, provide support. The weight of the vodka goes well with the bright character of the dry vermouth. The subtle sweetness ties it together, and that vanillin note makes it feel composed. Overall, it behaves cohesively without being obtrusive.

In Review – Grey Goose Vodka

Grey Goose Vodka is really a master class in how to create a luxury brand. As vodka goes, the smoothness of texture puts it right in line with other luxury focused brands like Absolut Elyx and Chopin. While it gets an edge over the Tito’s and Absolut of world, there is an almost 50% price increase. We have in the past said that we think the splurge is worth it to buy the slightly more expensive Absolut Elyx, and by that standard Grey Goose deserves consideration. If you really don’t want to taste the vodka, Grey Goose is something that could fit the need and your bar.

Bedlam Vodka

Posted on January 3, 2022January 2, 2022 by Nick

Back in 2019 when I was traveling, I came across a rep from Bedlam Vodka who was giving out samples. The flavor was unlike any vodka I’d come across to that point, and I’m hard pressed to think of one that’s similar since. Made at Graybeard Distillery in Durham, NC, Bedlam Vodka aims to be the unvodka. The slogan ‘Vodka Need Not Burn’ is located right at the bottom of the bottle. Made from long grain rice, the aim was to make smoother, softer vodka. Did they succeed and should it have a place in your home bar?

Bedlam Vodka

Sight: Clear

Smell: There’s a vanilla note that’s accompanied by touches of fruitiness and hints of cereal like sweetness. Notes of sake and a subtle creaminess joins in. There’s almost a yogurt like tang and creaminess to the nose.

Sip: The start is smooth and light on the palate. The flavor begins with notes of vanilla, sake notes, and a subtle cereal character. The body is soft and round, feeling lanolin and smooth with just a hint of sweetness.

Savor: The ending carries more ethanol and subtle touches of citrus and fruitiness.

Bedlam Vodka is very smooth and silky on its own. As a result of the smoothness, its enjoyable on it’s own. None of the flavors are particularly powerful, although the sake character is clearly unique to it. Bedlam’s attempt to becoming the unvodka worked, but seems to have accomplished being something that doesn’t quite fit the normal vodka mould.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo Bedlam Vodka provides the sensation that the drink may have been spiked with sake. As a result of the long grain rice used in the distillation, the Kangaroo takes on a particularly fruity nature that actually compliments the vermouth in an entirely unexpected way. The drink ends up smooth and highlights the sweetness and bright notes in the herbs. Is it a traditional vodka martini? Certainly not, but it is delicious.

In Review – Bedlam Vodka

Bedlam Vodka is unique and as a result your mileage may vary. The sake like notes are both harmonious and off-putting when compared to most vodkas. In all honesty, I really love Bedlam. I think it’s both unique and flavorful. I’d gladly buy a bottle from time to time if they distributed in my state. That said, I can’t in good faith that Bedlam needs a place in your collection. If you enjoy the flavor of rice distillates or sake, then this is a must try. Other vodkas drinkers may want to exercise caution, and those individuals starting their bar should probably steer clear unless they’re certain they like Bedlams flavor profile.

Bedlam’s Website

Russian Standard Vodka

Posted on December 23, 2021December 16, 2021 by Nick

Russian Standard Vodka is made with wheat like Grey Goose, it hails from Russia, and is distilled four times. As the original is the entry level vodka, you can expect more purification steps and distillations as you go up their line. Despite their story, this brand has only been around since 1998. They also use vodka.com as their website. So you have to think with that sort of branding that it’s going to have to be good vodka, right?

Russian Standard Vodka

Sight: Clear

Smell: A sweet cereal note comes out with a touch of vanillin to start. A hint of earthiness and fruitiness also comes through. The nose is clean smelling and with little alcohol burn.

Sip: The body is smooth and full, with just a bit of heat at the end. Subtle notes of cereal grain and charcoal minerality come out. There’s a slight touch of alcohol and bitterness.

Savor: The finish has a slightly charcoal and winter wheat note.

Russian Standard Vodka is clean, simple, and flavored in a way that is enjoyable and inoffensive. The flavor profile has just the subtlest touches of wheat and charcoal, but ultimately the flavor comes across as smooth and near flavorless. These characteristics are nice, and could offer some solid sippability.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo is works wonderfully, smoothly conveying its own character while displaying harmony with the vermouth. The notes of vanillin and the minerality amplify, giving a nice backbone to the herbal and bright notes that begin to flow into drink. There’s even room for a nice touch of spice that pops out. Overall, the general cohesiveness of the vodka is impressive.

In Review – Russian Standard Vodka

Russian Standard Vodka performed admirably on both the straight sipping and cocktail side of things. The make up of this vodka is similar to competitors like Grey Goose and Summum. The fact that it undercuts them on price, and delivers a similar level of quality means that Russian Standard is deserving of consideration. Given all of the positives, we recommend that you consider adding a bottle of Russian Standard Vodka to your bar whether you’re starting or looking to replace your current standard. It just works.

Summum Vodka

Posted on December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 by Nick

Summum Vodka is Total Wine’s house vodka brand, and their competitor for Grey Goose. The similarities are intentional and obvious. Summum is made from wheat in France and finished with spring water. As a result, they’re able to offer the brand in large quantities for cheap. So is this a goose hunter or should you stick to the avian?

Summum Vodka

Sight: Clear

Smell: There’s a bit of ethanol wafting off the top that gives way to hints of vanilla and a touch of cereal. The nose is very simple and straight forward, almost clean smelling like wet rock after rain.

Sip: The body is medium to rich, the flavor starts off with touches of vanillan and cereal grains. There’s a distinct ethanol and mineral notes as well, but the vodka doesn’t end up hot, but rather smooth.

Savor: The finish carries through notes of ethanol and vanilla, and a slight bitterness.

Summum Vodka is solid, straightforward, and plentiful. The overall flavor profile is clean with just a hint more alcohol than might be expected, but not enough to be offensive. It’s the sort of thing you have to dig for. That said, it also isn’t the kind of vodka you’d feel compelled to sit and sip on ice.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo Summum Vodka does it job admirably. The weight of the vodka leaves the texture as smooth and silky all the way through. The alcohol notes are subtly subdued by the chilling and herbal characteristic of the vermouth. The result is an easy drinking Kangaroo where the vermouth and vodka coexist in harmony and build slightly off each other.

In Review – Summum Vodka

Summum Vodka offers a surprising amount of quality and quantity for the price. Does it end up beating Grey Goose though? The results are a bit mixed. From a texture standpoint, I would say Summum delivers on 90% of Grey Goose’s, but things slip away on the flavor side. While both vodkas are clean, Grey Goose has a slightly more cohesive flavor profile and less identifiable alcohol notes. That doesn’t mean that Summum is bad vodka, on the contrary it provides amazing value at a discount price (this 1.75L comes in at $27, compared to Grey Goose at $25 for 750.

For these reasons, Summum is a great choice for those starting a bar or who need to serve a large number of people.

Chopin Potato Vodka

Posted on October 29, 2021October 5, 2021 by Nick

Chopin is a premium producer of vodka from Poland. They make three distinct vodkas:

Chopin Potato Vodka
Chopin Rye Vodka
Chopin Wheat Vodka

Given the overwhelmingly positive response from r/vodka to Chopin, I felt it should be one of my next selections to explore. For filling a hole in our line up, it made sense – having never covered a potato vodka.

Chopin Potato Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: There’s something particularly earthy about the nose, and it leaves an almost freshly dug planters or mushroom like smell. There’s a bit of heat as well, and it fringes into burning rubber.

Sip: There’s a more lanolin texture at the start that gradually loosens up into a more half and half like texture. The flavor is again heavy into the earthy, raw potato side of the spectrum. The ethanol creeps up slightly, and there’s a subtle bitterness and growing heat.

Savor: The ending is slightly toward bitter, again, pulling a large amount of earthy notes.

Chopin Potato Vodka is extraordinarily earthy, fringing into some rather unpleasant flavors. Those who are used to drinking corn and wheat based vodkas, will find the bitterness and raw alcohol notes somewhat off putting. That said, it is distinctive, but perhaps not in a way that will appeal to casual drinkers.

In Cocktails

In a Kangaroo Chopin Potato Vodka maintains it’s earthy poise with a thick rich body. The lead off is on the starchy side of the spectrum with some potato and mineral flavors. Things transition into the herbal and it lingers throughout, and a subtle amount of sweetness and wine character comes through. The flavors are clean and the texture is lanolin. The net result is a nice sip that goes well with an olive.

In Review – Chopin Potato Vodka

My fiancée and I have polar opposite opinions when it comes to Chopin Potato Vodka. She finds it smooth, minimally flavored, and slightly vanillan, while I find it heavily earthy. Where we have alignment is in the texture. Chopin is undeniably smooth, and in cocktails, provide more texture than flavor. From a cocktail perspective, it is enjoyable, if not something that’s a must have.

At $24 dollars a bottle it’s inline with Grey Goose and other premium brands, while not quite reaching Absolut Elyx costs. That said, the texture makes it worth a try to see if it has a place on your home’s shelf.

Absolut Vodka

Posted on April 16, 2021April 6, 2021 by Nick

Few vodkas are as ubiquitous as Absolut Vodka. Launched in 1970’s, Absolut was a bit of a marketing gimmick thanks to it’s transparent bottle. While this has become more commonplace, the actual product inside still depends on the use of Swedish wheat, water, and process to make. While we know their upper end Absolut Elyx is excellent, does their base product merit attention?

Absolut Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: There’s a nice touch of vanillin and grain notes that starts out, before pulling in a bit of ethanol. The nose is a little more yeasty than one might expect.

Sip: A moderate to heavy mouthfeel, it’s just short of coating in it’s character. It’s a little short of smooth as well, hinging into prickly without feeling hot. The notes of grain lead off, adding in a bit of alcohol and grain mash notes. The smallest hint of vanillin can be noticed peaking around the edges.

Savor: The end is again, mildly evaporative and prickly, leaving a slightly dried character and notes of grain on the finish.

Absolut Vodka is completely fine. Not great, not bad, just fine. That’s ok though, it doesn’t need to be exceptional on it’s own. In this price point, there aren’t a lot of vodkas that you’re going to want to sit back and enjoy neat or with an ice cube. Absolut Vodka would probably be fine that way, but it’s better in a cocktail.

In Cocktails

Absolut is priced and flavored in a way that makes us happy to utilize it our vodka cocktails. The reason has more to do with the lack of flavors and more to do with the texture. The moderate to heavy mouthfeel is useful in building drinks without adding more alcohol, and it doesn’t change the finished product. Unlike a rice or rye based vodka, there’s very little in the way of additional characteristics to interfere. The dilution and cold helps with the rougher edges, and in all but the most spiritous cocktails, it’s hard to notice. Bear in mind, it’s not bad, but we are inclined to splurge and step up the ladder for Absolut Elyx for spirit forward drinks like the Martini and Vesper where there is very little to hide behind.

Absolut Vodka Overall

We go with Absolut Vodka as our bar’s standard vodka based on the affordability, clean flavor, and the perceived mouthfeel elements. Absolut works very well in most cocktails, and is part of our recommended bottles for starting a home bar. That said, if you wanted to splurge a little, consider Absolut’s higher end offering Absolut Elyx for a smoother, more refined choice.

Sobieski Vodka

Posted on April 1, 2021March 31, 2021 by Nick

One of the first things I did in college, after I turned 21, was run an insanely nerdy Design of Experiment with my engineering friends tasting vodka. We went out and purchased a whole host, ranging from Svedka to Grey Goose to Zyr, and several others. After imbibing more than we should, we tallied up the numbers and analyzed our findings. The surprise, a Polish vodka called Sobieski Vodka was one of our favorite values in the group.

Sobieski Vodka

Made from 100% Rye, Sobieski is named for a Polish king, and is connected to Marie Brizard.

Sight: Clear

Smell: A bit of heat and spice leads off the nose. Touches of ethanol and like vanillin work around the edges. The nose is remarkably clean and subtle, with just the slightest hint of wet rock.

Sip: Sobieski starts of clean and smooth with hints of the spicy character of rye and touches vanillin. The flavor gradually becomes more ethanol with a touch of sweetness before reducing to a clean, if slightly hot alcohol flavor.

Savor: The ending is again, slightly boozy with just a little bitter-spicy rye component.

Sobieski is undoubtedly a rye vodka, and has the hallmark flits of spiciness around the edges. The thing about Sobieski is it’s fairly mild in it’s flavor, not being so obtrusive that you’d notice it. That is, unless you’re trying to notice it. When observed up close, there is a touch of heat and lacks of flavor that leaves it less than pleasant to enjoy on it’s own. For the price, this makes it one of our favorite choices to use for infusions and cocktails.

In Cocktails

Sobieski works delightfully in most cocktails, hiding in plain sight. It does especially well hiding in cocktails with some degree of acidity, using the light spice and clean character to blend in. The exception to this amongst cleaner flavor profiles, such as Martinis and Vespers, where it does well, but not as well as softer wheat offerings.

It also works particularly well in infusions, where I’ve used it to make fruit flavored vodkas and recently to make our Krupnik for Dyngus day.

Sobieski Vodka Overall

At $17 for a handle (1.75L) and an awful bluetooth speaker, Sobieski Vodka remains as stellar value with or without the trinkets. What it does well is provide a neutral, inoffensive, relatively smooth base to craft from. While it’s no over ice sipper, there’s nothing here to detract from other ingredients. Based on this, Sobieski is a top candidate to make our Recommended Bottles for Beginning a Home Bar list, and deserves consideration on your shelf.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka

Posted on March 26, 2021March 13, 2021 by Nick

Not every ingredient you keep in your bar is designed to be a beautiful, sippable tipple. In fact, some ingredients I’ll suggest you add to your bar are things I’d never recommend you pour in anything other than a cocktail. Despite that, some of these items are wonderful when you trying to bring out a really specific flavor in a drink. Take for example, the oddly brilliant 360 Double Chocolate Vodka.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: The double chocolate moniker comes alive here, starting with powder milk chocolate and moving toward tootsie roll. There is a subtle underlying whiff of alcohol.

Sip: Thanks to sugar, the body starts off smooth and rich. Gradually, the notes of alcohol creep in off the edges and add a heat that’s not quite overwhelming, but certainly unwelcome. The chocolate flavor maintains though, landing somewhere in the milk chocolate region.

Savor: The ending adds a little bit of bittersweet chocolate to the tootsie roll like characteristics that go throughout.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka is obviously never meant to be consumed out of a tasting glass. It’s hot, it’s kind of one note, and it’s got a couple of odd alcohol induced flavors going on. Despite this, it’s one of our favorite chocolate vodkas because it’s really chocolatey. More than just giving a chocolate flavor, it manages to give a milk chocolate flavor that can be tough to obtain from liqueurs. For these reasons, it’s one of our favorite flavored chocolate vodkas to work with.

In Cocktails

Something about this vodka just sits perfectly in the uncanny valley of too terrible to drink on its own, and please put a bunch of that in a drink. In cocktails all of the sharp edges vanish and it becomes charmingly forward in it’s chocolate flavors. In our Chocolate Martinis it’s absolutely brilliant, adding just the right amount of chocolate. Meanwhile it provides a very natural chocolate flavor for our Chocolate Covered Strawberry cocktail without overwhelming the strawberry. Perhaps the only issue is the need to adjust sweetness, but this is a minor gripe.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka Overall

The ludicrously low price of only $12 a 750ml makes this an easy recommendation for any fans of chocolate liquor. If you’re concerned about the environment, they’ll also take back the swing cap by sending you a prepaid envelop. Overall, there’s just a lot to like about 360 Double Chocolate Vodka for not a lot of cash.

Absolut Elyx

Posted on July 24, 2020July 24, 2020 by Nick

Absolut’s basic product is a solid way to stock your bar. The flavor is relatively neutral, there aren’t too many edges, and the price is right. What if you want to step it up? Well Absolut has an answer for that – Absolut Elyx.

Absolut Elyx

Crafted from locally sourced winter wheat and distilled in a manually operated copper still – Absolut Elyx is almost double the price point of their standard offering. Do the changes, and fancy bottle justify the cost?

One note – you might notice this is an older bottle. This packaging is from before their most recent flow through, but from my understanding, the actual liquor is unchanged.

Sight: Clear.

Smell: A nice amount of ethanol and vanilla co-mingle in a soft welcoming sort of way. Subtle grain hints a touch of powdered sugar elements come through. The nose is very clean.

Sip: The mouthfeel is rich and smooth, almost silky, with little to no bite. There are great elements of the wheat and light vanillin notes. There’s a sugariness here, a bit like cotton candy, and with touches of minerality and earthiness.

Savor: The ending is a clean, smooth, and ethanol driven affair. The ending has a touch of grain and vanilla again.

Absolut Elyx is wonderfully smooth, with a clean, welcoming flavor profile. There’s little to no notes of imperfection here. If I can hold anything against it, I almost wish it had a little more complexity. That aside, the clean, straightforward flavor profile is wonderful for crafting, and not unpleasant on it’s own.

In Cocktails

As previously mentioned, Absolut Elyx is smooth and thanks to the softness of the wheat and vanilla notes, lends itself well as a base. As a result – it helps create elegantly smooth bases for Martini’s and mules. It also lets other ingredients, like orange juice, shine through without providing too much of a bite, but still enough for you to know it’s there.

Absolut Elyx Overall

Absolut Elyx is well crafted, and delivers firm quality at the price point. While is isn’t essential to stock, it is worth the splurge for the extra cost. For that reason, and the flexibility in crafting, we actually keep a bottle in our bar.

For more about Absolut Elyx – check out their website.

Oligan Vodka

Posted on June 2, 2020June 21, 2020 by Nick

It seems like not all that long ago that I was learning to drive in Albany, NY. I still remember not having a great grasp of where the right side of the car was. Well – at 16 – I really didn’t understand where most of the car was. Even so, I remember driving nervously up and down Albany-Shaker road regularly (living not far off it). On Saturdays, we’d go to Wendy’s, turning on to British-American Boulevard. Driving past the nondescript buildings that made up the business park was more entertaining than continuing down Albany-Shaker, evoking memories of when my mother once ran over a planter in a Cadillac teaching me to drive in the snow. While it’s been years, it seems like Oligan Distillery (who makes Oligan Vodka), might be changing my mind about where the entertainment on Albany Shaker Rd lies.

Oligan Distilling is new – like just barely a year old new. Despite this, it hasn’t stopped them from offering not only Oligan Vodka, but also a couple of different gins. After trying a few samples I purchased, one of the co-owner was nice enough to show me around the distillery. Even though Oligan is small, it’s one of the few distilleries to have semi-automated continuous feed. That said, the still is operating at nowhere near capacity, and at the time I visited – it was suggested it was barely at 35% capacity. Expansion is implied, if not planned.

Still, you have to start somewhere – and somewhere is with a corn based vodka. The corn is local – grown in Schaghticoke – which should help to give a slightly sweeter flavor. The owner suggested part of the plan was to get to 100% corn vodka, allowing Oligan to move toward gluten free – like another big vodka we’ve talked about. Still, the bottle I received isn’t quite there – but is it good?

Oligan Vodka

Sight: Clear – with some really long legs.

Smell: It’s clean with a slight vanilla odor, and a little bit of burn. Later, a waft of spiciness comes through and wraps with a subtle fruitiness. There’s a tiny kick of almost creaminess.

Sip: The body is light, and dances easily across the palate. It gets a little thin through the mid palate, but smooth. There’s the subtle fruitiness again and it’s complimented with a spicy nature.

Savor: The ending is palate coating, and somewhat spicy with a bit of minerality and grain. A touch of bitterness rounds things out.

Oligan Vodka is a very pleasant addition to the vodka scene. It has a very smooth and light body for what it is, but doesn’t compromise flavor. Price wise, you will pay a little bit more here, as there’s some economics of scale in play. That said though, if you’re looking for a new vodka to try in Albany, Oligan Vodka certainly fits that bill and has some surprises that make it worth the while.

In Cocktails

Oligan plays well with other ingredients – and that lightest little tingle of spice stands out. It gives it an edge that helps play against the warmth of ginger in a mule or the bite of lime. While it’s not the smoothest – it plays well, not overtly accentuating any bitter flavors. In a martini, it bends towards the minerality side a little, but gives this subtle kind of almost of creamy weight.

Oligan Vodka Overall

You always root for the home team right? You have to. Even when you move away. Oligan is putting out a nice product for a distillery starting out, and it’s got a nice streak of uniqueness thanks to the rye. I think Oligan is off to a promising start, their vodka is certainly interesting, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Check them out if you’re in Latham, NY.

Other’s Share Their Thoughts on Oligan Vodka

Stolichnaya “Stoli Vanil” Vanilla

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Nick

As a general rule, flavored vodka’s (and other spirits) are an anomaly in our collection. It’s not that people don’t enjoy the flavors that manufactures can infuse into their product, but rather that we prefer our ability to use natural ingredients or other modifiers to achieve similar results. Even so, we keep a bottle of Stolichnaya “Stoli Vanil” Vanilla around – because my mother likes it for her chocolate martinis.

Stolichnaya “Stoli Vanil” Vanilla

Stoli Vanil is made from a mix of wheat and rye. To make it vanilla they use a mix of natural vanilla flavors.

Sight: Clear

Smell: There’s a subtly ethanol note and plenty of cake like vanilla / frosting that pulls through.

Sip: The body is syrupy yet thin, while pulling in plenty of vanilla and mild grain / grape ethanol notes.

Savor: The ending lingers with a touch of creamy character and a more bitter ethanol component, while the vanilla hangs out – heading toward extract.

Stoli Vanil ends up being something of a simplistic vodka – heavy on the vanilla and cake like notes. The slight ethanol characteristic isn’t the nicest counterpoint against the sweetness of the vodka. It’s not really great for sipping on, but fortunately – that’s not the point.

Stoli Vanil In Cocktails

That said, for making certain dessert cocktails – it gives a nice little bump to other flavors like chocolate and nuts. It really downplays the sharper notes in a chocolate martini, playing more background. To see how it behaved in a more vodka forward application, I made a simple play on a creamsicle. The combination of Stoli Vanil, orange bitters, simple syrup, and club ends up feeling like more than the sum of it’s parts. A creamy body with subtle bubbliness plays off the vanilla notes and opens up lightly floral with a touch of orange. The richness is palpable, but somehow also feels refreshing.

Final Thoughts

Stoli Vanil is a good vodka to craft cocktails with. While you can create similar flavors with a vanilla syrup and vodka, Stoli Vanil provides a solid creaminess in it’s character that elevates it. It’s certainly not a must have, but there’s no shame in keeping it in your bar.

For more information, head over to Stoli’s Website.

Tito’s Vodka

Posted on November 3, 2019October 31, 2019 by Nick

Few liquors are as hyped as Tito’s Vodka is. But does it live up to the hype?

So what exactly is Tito’s Vodka?

Tito’s Vodka is a pot still vodka made from 100% American corn. This sentence in and of itself is a bit odd. Most vodka is column distilled – requiring less labor. The corn makes it gluten free – but less traditional than potato, rye, or grain vodkas.

So Is Tito’s Any Good?

Tito’s Vodka is good – but how good might be a bit of personal preference. In our head to heads – it’s a vodka surviving a bit on reputation when tasted straight. Among the positive elements are the slight sweetness, rich and oily touches to the body, and a clean finish. It’s not without flaw though. The straight corn character makes it somewhat one note with touches of powdered sugar and roasted grain. There’s some hints of burning. It leaves some stone like notes on the finish.

Tito’s is by no means bad – and plays exceedingly well in every cocktail we made with it. The value proposition is provides is still very good. Testing it in a vodka martini against a competitor, we found the slightly sweet corn notes came though even against the dry vermouth’s herbal and aromatic notes. On the finish it gave a slight lanolin like texture and finish, and the harder edges found on a solo taste test vanish.

That said – if you need a backbone to build a drink on with some complimentary flavors – there’s nothing wrong with using Tito’s. It’s a solid, if average, vodka – and one that we’ve happily used to build drinks for years.

Tito’s Also Really Likes Dogs

Tito’s has a long history with dogs, including having strays wander up to the distillery when they opened. Their Vodka For Dog People program is focused on creating better lives for pets and their families. Like the best dog families, Tito’s allows workers to bring their dogs to work with them on a regular basis. The Vodka for Dog People charity related arm helps animals in need to have a better life, and proceeds from their dog items go toward supporting animal charities they work with.

Much like Tito’s we love our girl Bella, and appreciate all the hard work Tito’s does to support our four legged friends!