What is your favorite vodka?

What is your favorite vodka?

Tried vodka for the first time a couple of months ago. Some of that stuff is really good.

Had Stolichnaya elite. It is very, very good but at $50+ a bottle it's not cheap.

Aloso had Summum (France) vodka. At about $24 for 1.5 liters it's a lot cheaper than the Stolichnaya, not as good as the Stolichnaya, but not at all bad in orange juice.

Special ordered Xellet vodka (Swiss) from a local liqour store and am looking forward to trying it out.

Steve

My favorite vodka is Smirnoff. I can't tell the difference between this and "expensive" vodka, so I don't see the point in paying higher prices.

Enchanted Rock. Made a few miles from my casa by a guy I went to high school with.

I'm one of those who can't taste a difference in vodkas, but interested in which are most revered

Tito's, Savvy

BlackBard said:

My favorite vodka is Smirnoff. I can't tell the difference between this and "expensive" vodka, so I don't see the point in paying higher prices.

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I completely agree! And it tastes really good.

Though, I'm never opposed to a bit of Polar Ice.

Ketel for me.

Ketle one

Belvedere

My wife prefers Chopin...

I don't think premium vodkas are worth the money. I usually buy Tito's, though I don't drink much vodka myself.

Smirnoff red label. But as some other posters have already pointed out, just for mixing with oj or whatever any no-name stuff from the supermarket will usually do.

conroygc said:

I don't think premium vodkas are worth the money. I usually buy Tito's, though I don't drink much vodka myself.

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+1. My local liquor store did a blind test some time ago and most of the participants could not identify their "favorite" vodka. Each person was given about a table spoon or so of vodka in a plastic cup that had a number on it. None of the participants knew the brand they were tasting. Tito's was found to be the most "smooth" vodka. Much to the surprise of quite a few people the more expensive vodkas such as Grey Goose did not fare any better than the less expensive ones. The test was limited to grain vodkas that were not flavored.

BlackBard said:

My favorite vodka is Smirnoff. I can't tell the difference between this and "expensive" vodka, so I don't see the point in paying higher prices.

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If you cant tell the difference in taste then you might as well buy a cheaper vodka. Smirnoff isn't expensive compared to premium vodkas, but it is expensive compared to vodkas in its quality range. It is like the Nike of vodka. They charge a higher price just because they have the name recognition.
My personal favorite is Svedke. It is cheap and just as good as some of the premium brands. As others have mentioned, Tito's is a really good choice too.
I like to use tito's to make infused vodkas at home. Two of my best were grapefruit infused (goes great with tonic and a lime wedge) and garlic jalapeno (goes really well in a bloody marry) although if you let the garlic jalapeno one sit for too long it will become too powerful for many people. Also, using grapefruit peels can leave a bitter taste if you leave it too long or dont cut the white pulp off of the peel. You want to use only the colored part of the peel to get the best results.

Less Expensive Vodkas:
Titos
Monopolowa

High End:
Kettle One
Russian Standard Platnium

I drank vodka exclusively when I first started drinking, and I can tell the difference. My least favorite vodkas ironically enough are Smirnoff and Grey Goose. I find Goose to be incredibly overhyped. Kettle One and Russian Standard are really good vodkas, but Titos and Monopolowa aren't much of a dropoff in quality, if any at all, and are quite a bit cheaper. A handle of Monopolowa can be had for $16-18.

BlackBard said:

My favorite vodka is Smirnoff. I can't tell the difference between this and "expensive" vodka, so I don't see the point in paying higher prices.

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Xslim said:

Partial quote:
If you cant tell the difference in taste then you might as well buy a cheaper vodka. Smirnoff isn't expensive compared to premium vodkas, but it is expensive compared to vodkas in its quality range.

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Your point is well taken. I was originally going to say that I usually buy even cheaper vodka than Smirnoff, but the last time I bought vodka (more than a year ago) a 1.75 liter bottle of Smirnoff was on sale at Costco for such a low price I could not resist. I don't drink much vodka. I still have about 350 ml left.

I believe I do find it smoother than others in the price range, though. I only drink vodka mixed - usually in a Bloody Mary. Of course, I probably could not pick it out in a blind taste test, so maybe I am just a victim of the hype.

Fris

I love Sobieski. Did a blind taste test with my parents btw Sobieski and Grey Goose. Neither of them chose correctly. Its about $12 a liter here. I like Stoli as well, but wait untill I travel and pick it up at the duty free for $13 a bottle.

Scotch