Drinking The World

Van Gogh Espresso Vodka is 35% abv. / 70 proof and is made by Dirkzwager Distilleries in Holland. Van Gogh Vodka makes dozens of different flavors and this is the first one I have tried.

The aroma is exactly that of a very sweet shot of espresso with a hint of vanilla. It's very rich and thick smelling.

The taste is a light and clean vodka, with just a dash of espresso and sugar. I thought that the flavor would be thick and overwhelming, but that isn't the case. Instead it is refreshing, mild, and smooth. I got a batch of these flavored vodkas as samples and wasn't expecting much. Most flavored vodka's aren't that good, but this one certainly is and I am favorably impressed. You could drink this as cold shots, on the rocks, or use it in cocktails. Just please call them cocktails, not "martini's."

Hamptons Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is a four column distillation, quadruple filtered, from 100% American yellow corn.

The aroma is light and that of ethyl alcohol with a hint of pepperiness, none of the sweetness or mellowness I have come to expect in a corn based vodka. There isn't much going on here in the aroma besides the hint of pepper and the faintest touch of menthol.

The taste is light, relatively smooth with a slight bite or sharpness on the tongue. Basically it tastes like ethyl alcohol to me. I'm always leery when I see that a vodka is many times filtered because it means very little taste. In this case, that is very true. This tastes like any of the big, commercial vodka's, basically clean, light, and characterless. This isn't a sipping vodka and I would use it for cocktails and highballs where the mixers will be the main flavor.

X Rated Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is a seven times distilled French Vodka made from Wheat and Baies Roses, also called Roseberry Grain or Pink Peppercorns. It is micro-oxygenated, which means that oxygen is bubbled up through the spirit, to speed up the mellowing process and make the spirit smoother.

The aroma is very light; just a touch of alcohol, yeasty bread, and a hint of spice and floral notes. The taste is also very light with a pleasant peppery bite and taste to it, with some floral tones. If you like a vodka that is both smooth, but has a bit of peppery bite, then you will like X Rated Vodka.

Xellent Swiss Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is distilled and bottled in Switzerland using pure glacier water. It's won numerous awards and mention over the past few years. Xellent is made from 100% Swiss, alpine grown rye.

I really enjoy rye based vodka. No matter how well rectified it is, the character of the grain comes through. The aroma is medium light, spicy, fragrant, with a hint of floral tones. Underneath you have a hint of grains and light bready notes. An interesting combination of warm and cool sensations in the nose. I find the aroma very enjoyable.

The taste is slightly spicy and breadlike, light, complex. It develops character as it sits on your tongue and smoothly trickles down your throat. This is one of the first vodkas I had where I said to myself "this actually has flavor to it!" Which led me to finally getting over my prejudice about vodka. Xellent works great straight cold in shots with dinner, on the rocks, and in cocktails of all types.

Rehorst Premium Milwaukee Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and made by the Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee, WI. The first distillery to open in the state since prohibition and the only one so far.

The aroma is light, faintly floral and soft; with hints of peppery spices and the slightest sweet and buttery tones I associate with premium wheat based vodkas. There are some additional light notes that are very complex, unique, and enjoyable that come through after the vodka has opened up for a few minutes that are reminiscent of wild flowers, sweet fruit, and grassy herbs.

The taste is very light and clean with just a hint of grains and sharp pepper; with the bare suggestion of sweetness topped with the faintest hint of butter. Rehorst vodka is a great vodka to use for cocktails, highballs, and mixed drinks; where you want a vodka with some character, without having too much that would interfere with the other ingredients. Vodka drinkers who like peppery and floral notes will also enjoy it served ice cold in shots or on the rocks.

Tito's Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is made in Austin, Texas from 100% corn distilled six times in pot stills. The aroma is very light and clean with the barest hint of sweetness and corn. If I hadn't tried several corn vodkas and liquors recently I might not have been able to pick that up, but once I did it was recognizable and added greatly to the aroma. Balancing and smoothing out the light, clean scent.

The taste is also very light and clean, almost all the flavor has been distilled out, maybe too much for my personal taste. What is left is clean and very smooth, with just a vague hint of sweetness and a very slight peppery finish. I like vodka's with a bit more flavor to them, but if you want a very nice, clean, light tasting, smooth vodka to have on the rocks, or in a highball or cocktail, then Tito's is for you. It's exceptionally well made and the low to mid price range makes it a good buy as well.

Vermont Spirits Gold is 40% abv. / 80 proof and is made from Vermont Maple Syrup. Vermont Spirits makes three types of vodka. The Gold is from ample syrup the Vintage Gold from maple sap, and the White is made from milk sugar. They are small batch vodkas made in wood fired, steam heated distillers and the Gold is limited to 1,000 cases a year.

The aroma is graceful and delicate, full of maple and hints of butter; with a nice warm alcohol base. The taste starts slightly sharp and peppery and then quickly has maple and buttery notes come through. These last a long time with a slight sweetness joining in. The body is full with an enjoyable oily-silkiness that slides along your tongue. It finishes with a cool-warm tongue and lip tingling.

Created by Duncan Holiday, an anthropologist, it is his answer to using local resources and products in a new way. This is definitely a vodka that you want to sip straight, cold, or on the rocks. Mixing this with much of anything will overwhelm the delicate flavor.

Sub Rosa Saffron Infused Vodka is 45% abv. / 90 proof and has a lovely light straw gold color to it. Not too long ago I reviewed Sub Rosa Tarragon Vodka, created by distiller Mike Sherwood. I thought it was an excellent addition to the flavored vodka contingent with its savory, not sweet tones. Sub Rosa is Latin for for all things secret, private, and confidential. A perfect name for a company making strikingly infused vodkas with hidden depths of complexity.

Well add another one to the list of complex and delightful savory vodkas with Sub Rosa Saffron Vodka. Infused with eight spices including cumin, coriander, ginger, black peppercorn, cayenne, galangal, turmeric, and of course that most regal of spices, saffron.

The aroma takes me back to the exotic and beautiful island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. For many hundreds of years the Persians controlled the spice trade and settled on Zanzibar with its spice plantations, and developing Stone Town into a grand place where they lived and shipped off the spices all over the world.

Called Stone Town because the multi-storied buildings are made of fancifully carved stone. One of the most noted things about the town besides the artful stonework are the doors. These are made of thick and beautiful wood, banded with bronze, and with large projections jutting out to prevent the spice traders elephants from trying to butt down the doors when they wanted to join their owners or cage a snack. Then as you climb up to the covered dining areas on some of the rooftops the city bursts into color as a majority of the roofs are painted in a multitude of bright hues. there are actually books dedicated to photos and stories of the doors and the roofs of Stone Town.

Saaga 1763 Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and created by Master Distiller Arno Narro who recreates the original style of vodka distilled in ancient Estonian manors for hundreds of years. The vodka is made from 90% heirloom Estonian Rye and 10% Tristo summer wheat, which are harvested at the optimum time, carefully sorted , and dried with care. Rye is the Estonian national grain and they have been cultivating it since the 1100's. The rye used in Saaga, actually a blend of two rye's- Tulvi and Vambo, are both not just heirloom rye's, but ancient ones that can be tracked back to when rye first started being cultivated in Estonia, after it had made its way from Asia Minor. These aren't your vapid modern rye's like Matador or Picasso, but flavor packed, spicy, and earthy.

Then Spectral Fluorescence Signature technology is used to select the best and most robust grains of rye to ensure the flavor and quality of the vodka. It is slowly and carefully distilled at controlled temperatures to produce the best flavor and is not filtered at all. That's right; it seems that this is the only unfiltered vodka in the world. When it is distilled such exacting care is taken that it doesn't need charcoal filtering. The water used is pure Estonian spring water that has naturally filtered over the years through layers of limestone under the ground, and is then purified with reverse osmosis. I don't think I have ever read such a long bottle label or notes on a bottle tag before. It was like reading an epic saga on vodka, a treatise of fantastical history and modern day fact. It definitely entertained me and put me in the mood to first do some in-depth research, and then sip some vodka.

Jean-Marc XO Vodka is 40% abv. / 80 proof and created by Jean Marc Daucourt. It is hand crafted in small batches in French Alambic stills and is a whopping nine times distilled. There is not one, but four specially selected French grains used in the making: Yseangrain, Orvantis, Asteque, and Chargeur; which are separated from the chaff before distilling to remove any possibility of bitterness.

The water is from pure Gensac spring water from the Cognac area that has filtered naturally through layers of Grande Champagne limestone leaving it smooth and clean tasting. To create as a refined a spirit as possible the vodka is micro-oxygenated just after distilling, a process used in First Growth Bordeaux wines. It is finished by charcoal filtering through limousin oak. Finally it is placed into an individually numbered bottle, mine is # 8931H.

It has already started achieving awards and recognition with Vodka of the Year with a record rating from the Beverage Tastings Institute and the first vodka to receive the Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.

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