It burned all the way from lips to the stomach, and that burn lingered. Sample Three Riley Carl Aroma Ethanol, undetermined grain Sweet smells like vanilla cake batter Palate & Finish Pepper, ethanol Pepper and vanilla creamy I read that Grey Goose was supposed to have hints of star anise, and I thought I tasted it here, but it wasn't very prominent. I attribute my taste of black licorice purely to suggestion. We disagreed on which grain, and our palates registered different finishing flavors. We both smelled grain and tasted peppercorn. Sample Two Riley Carl Aroma Grainy and sharp Grainy with hints of rye Palate & Finish Peppery Peppercorn Overall, I think we would characterize this vodka as mild and enjoyable. Did our impressions match the tasting notes I found? Blind Taste Test Sample One Riley Carl Aroma Soft and light Sweet and creamy Palate & Finish Almond and cream flavors Sweet, almond, and creamy vanilla flavorsĬarl and I both thought this was the smoothest of the three. We had glasses of distilled water available to cleanse our palates between samples. Then, Carl set up the samples so I would be blind-tested. We each bottle of vodka in the freezer for about an hour. Aroma: Clean and grainy, with hints of almond and black pepper.Finish: Hot black pepper and brazil nuts.
Palate: Sweet and creamy with a bite of cracked black pepper clean with an evident grain character.Aroma: Clean, white peppery, and spirity, with a faint but discernible hint of sweetcorn.
Palate: Full and round, with medium body smooth, rich and velvety in texture.Aroma: Soft and inviting with notes of vanilla, cream, tangerine, and rye bread.The costs of these spirits vary between the liquor stores we visit, so they're going to vary from state-to-state, country-to-country. Please note, the prices we've included are the consensus according to Google. First, here's a breakdown of each vodka's tasting notes, price, country of origin, and dominant grain. Each brand we tried has its own aroma, flavor on the palate, and finish. With all this variation, it's easy to see how, when you're paying attention, vodkas can taste very different. Most common vodkas are made from fermented rye, corn, wheat, potatoes, or rice.īut some are made from sorghum, apples, grapes, or anything edible with sugar or starch to ferment. Vodka can be made from a myriad of ingredients, including grains, fruits, and molasses. But, I didn't take into account exactly how much variation in base elements there can be.
In my experience, flavor differences came from what is mixed with the vodka instead of the spirit itself. I didn't expect to find as much variation as I did. Once Carl decided which vodkas to sample, I put together tasting notes from books, reviews, and the liquor brand's own marketing materials. So why am I choosing from brands that cost $7 to hundreds of dollars? We decided to try offering some help by choosing 3 of the most popular brands available in the US: Tito's Handmade, Belvedere, and Grey Goose.
By definition, vodka is supposed to be neutral and mostly flavorless, right?
This is especially true when you're trying to decide if paying extra for a popular brand is worth it.īefore filming this episode, I struggled with choosing vodka the most. Our favorite liquor store is the size of a small warehouse, so it can be hard to choose what bottle to grab. Especially if you want to try something new. Sometimes, going to liquor stores can be overwhelming.