Vodka
Vodka goes in and out of fashion, but not its popularity with drinkers. It remains the biggest-selling spirit in the U.S, and even the Scots drink more vodka than whisky. In the U.S., according to the Code of Federal Regulations, vodka is defined as “neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color.” Nevertheless, there are subtle differences between vodka made from potatoes and from grain, for example, two of the most common base products for distilling into vodka. (In recent years, a wide variety of other bases have been used to make vodka.) Infused vodka has usually been infused with natural products (e.g. real lemons), while flavored vodka can mean it contains either natural or artificial flavorings. Rules regarding the acceptable strength of vodka differ slightly around the world. Within the European Union, vodkas can be bottled at as low as 75 proof, while in most countries outside the European Union, and in the U.S., vodka must be at least 80 proof.
Top Vodka Posts:
Grey Goose VX Vodka
Ketel One Vodka
Russian Standard Vodka
It’s been 10 long years since our last (and initial) look at Broken Shed Vodka, a spirit made in New Zealand and distilled four times from whey. What’s changed since 2012? If my tasting notes are any judge, not a lot. The vodka has a distinct sweetness on the nose which evokes sweet cream, giving it…
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Remember how we said that fresh, organic infused vodkas were the hottest trend in the category? Well, they say the exception makes the rule, and here it is in the form of Viss, a candy-colored, heavily artificially flavored vodka that’s imbued with a sparkly substance that makes it shimmer in the bottle and in the…
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In case you missed it, the big trend in vodka today is more complex infusions that eschew artificial flavors for real botanicals. In the case of Belvedere, it recently dropped a trio of Organic Infusions, each made with “100% organic fruits, spices and botanicals for flavor extraction, relying on the beauty of natural, simple ingredients…
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Hanson of Sonoma’s latest vodka flavor is a natural (and seasonal) one — grapefruit, made much like its other spirits, starting with a distillate of organic grapes and infusing it with real, organic, hand-peeled grapefruit. (It’s no joke: You can see the pulp floating in the bottle here.) It’s usually hard to get excited about…
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Ready for Christmas? Ready for Christmas 2023, maybe? Our long day’s journey into night may have continued unabated this year, but we’re hopeful you’ve at least found some ability to get out of the house, maybe take a trip, and reconnect with friends and family this season. Naturally, you’re still not going to be able…
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From the folks that brought you Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka comes Deep Eddy Lime Vodka, made with real limes and, well, tasting like real limes. This vodka — now part of the Heaven Hill empire — is tart, sour stuff, made with real lime in a way that shows. The nose smells just like…
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Oak-aged vodka has been done before, but never with much success. If you wanted whiskey, you’d drink whiskey, amirite? Vodka in barrel sits in a strange middle ground occupied by uncommon oddities such as light whiskey and tobacco-flavored vodka, stuff that sounds interesting on paper but which usually sit on the shelf untouched in favor…
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Yobo Soju is a rarity in an emerging category: Not only is it made in New York’s Finger Lakes area, it is done so by a Korean American mom and lawyer, Carolyn Kim, who wanted to pay homage to her roots with her take on Korea’s national spirit. The spirit is distilled from local Catawba grapes.…
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Grey Goose makes standard flavored vodkas, and now it expands those offerings with a spinoff line called Essences, part of the new craze in vodka that sees brands relying on real fruit and natural ingredients — and no added sugar in the case of Essences — to create unusual flavor combinations that at least give…
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What does one do with leftover beer that’s otherwise destined for the drain? Why, distill it of course. San Diego-based ReBru isn’t the first company to turn beer into hard liquor, but it’s one of the few that only makes it out of “high-quality, out-of-code, and overstock craft beer.” At present, the company is producing…
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