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.
Love Summum vodka. It is smoother than most vodkas with excellent flavor. But the new bottle caps are a mistake. They are very difficult to open. Please go back to the previous caps.
Jim Fitzpatrick