Any Vodka Drinkers?

Sofiztikated

Howdy all!

What bugs me in this country is that when people say they drink vodka, they usually mean they drink Smirnoff, and woe betide if they get anything else, "Sure thats cheap foreign muck!"

Don't get me wrong, I'll drink Smirnoff til the cows get pished. But I don't for one second convince myself that it's the be all and end all when it comes to vodka.

Vodkas I like (in no particular order):

Finlandia
Smirnoff
Belvedere
Absolut
Wyborowa
42 Below (Just not fussed on the Manuka Honey)

Vodkas I don't like:
Grants
Tesco Value Vodka
That's it. Short list.

Vodkas I haven't made up my mind on yet:
Huzzar. Sometimes its ok, sometimes its not.
Boru. It used to be triple distilled, quad filtered. I liked it then. Now triple distilled, 5 times filtered. Not so much now.
Stolichnaya. I think like it. But I'm not sure.

Vodka on my To Try list:
Skyy.
Grey Goose.
Kettle One.
IDOL.
Stoli Elit.

Anyone else like a drop of the clear stuff?

BeerNut

Now and again. About the best I've tasted is Chopin.

I love vodka bars. There's a great one in Krakow and another I used to spend a lot of my student budget in in Aberdeen -- parma violet vodka, garlic vodka, curry vodka: the odder the better.

Ronan|Raven

Zubrowka is a nice Vodka.

Dave_Kilkenny

Absolwent is one of the nicer vodka's I've had,

Molloys Clondalkin

Try Stumbra centenary
or Altai from Siberia : )

Tar.Aldarion

the only vodka I like is 'Russian Standard'. Lovely drink, all the other vodkas taste like paint stripper

amdublin

My vodka of choice is Grey Goose.

The goose gets you loose

Tar.Aldarion

oh here is a link to the deliciousness

http://www.russianstandardvodka.com/

IMPERIA is supposed to be really good, distilled another 4 times etc

rubadub

Skyy is an extremely clean vodka, also put smirnoff black on your "want" list, it is one of the better value premium ones.

Max Power1

That Grants is horrible stuff altogether, might as well be windolene.

Got served it in a bar and the whack off it was unreal.

Bearhunter

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

oh here is a link to the deliciousness

http://www.russianstandardvodka.com/

IMPERIA is supposed to be really good, distilled another 4 times etc

Imperia is good, but it lacks something for me to justify the price jump. Russian Standard Platinum is probably the best I've tried recently. Ketel 1 and Grey Goose are the ultimate triumph of marketing over matter, while Belvedere's main selling point is its bottle.

Smirnoff Black Label is a gorgeous drop too, way more complex than the red.

Retail Hell

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

Zubrowka is a nice Vodka.

with apple juice

I like to keep my Absolute in the freezer, it comes out like a syrup,nice and thick umm

dashboard_hula

Huzzar tastes like shoes - its awful, and I don't understand how anyone can't tell the difference, even drowned in a mixer.

Absolut is a lovely medium budget vodka, and one of the few that I'll drink neat.

Grey Goose defies the belief that the expensive stuff won't give you a hangover, I couldn't open my eyes without whimpering last week after emptying a bottle between 2 of us.

Skyy and Ketel One I'd like to try. Finlandia is pretty nice. Boru is nicer when it's frozen. Smirnoff I need to pinch my nose when drinking it neat, or maybe I'm just a wimp.

Tar.Aldarion

Bearhunter wrote: »

Imperia is good, but it lacks something for me to justify the price jump. Russian Standard Platinum is probably the best I've tried recently. Ketel 1 and Grey Goose are the ultimate triumph of marketing over matter, while Belvedere's main selling point is its bottle.

Smirnoff Black Label is a gorgeous drop too, way more complex than the red.

How much is it, and the platinum? I've only ever had the standard one for 20 euro and it was so good.

Dave_Kilkenny

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

How much is it, and the platinum? I've only ever had the standard one for 20 euro and it was so good.

Not sure how much it is in Ireland and it is a premium vodka and its distilled in copper pot stills being its USP.

Bearhunter

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

How much is it, and the platinum? I've only ever had the standard one for 20 euro and it was so good.

Not sure what it costs over there, but it's $40 here for the "standard" Standard, $50 for the Platinum and $75 for the Imperia. On current rates of exchange that's roughly EUR22, 28 and 42, respectively.

Tar.Aldarion

cheers guys, will have a look out. Never see the stuff though

donaghs

BeerNut wrote: »

Now and again. About the best I've tasted is Chopin.

I love vodka bars. There's a great one in Krakow and another I used to spend a lot of my student budget in in Aberdeen -- parma violet vodka, garlic vodka, curry vodka: the odder the better.

Leaving flavoured Vodkas aside, how would you rate regular Vodkas against each other? What makes one better than the other, in your opinion?

I dont drink many spirits straight myself, Whiskey & Brandy normally, and with those two there are definite characteristics that I can detect from inidividual types that I like, and sometimes dislike. With Vodkas I never really noticed this. Most people prefer a vodka that has very little flavour or alcohol burn? And some cheaper Vodkas do have some nasty off flavours and a rougher alcohol burn.

BeerNut

donaghs wrote: »

how would you rate regular Vodkas against each other?

I wouldn't. I'm not that into it.

donaghs wrote: »

What makes one better than the other, in your opinion?

Smoothness; lack of burn. Sometimes there's a nice grain flavour.

IrishWhiskeyCha

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

cheers guys, will have a look out. Never see the stuff though

My other half likes her Vodka and I get some unusual ones from a site in the UK and postage is fairly good taking into account the amount you save on 2-3 bottles. Shipping to Ireland is as follows 1 = £13, 2 = £15, 3 = £16, 4 = £17, 5 = £18 6 = £19 & 7-12 = £20

Check these guys out ...

The Whisky Exchange

And they have a great selection of Vodka

They have Smirnof Black & Standard Platinum for under £20 each plus many many more some of which mentioned already on here.

donaghs

BeerNut wrote: »

I wouldn't. I'm not that into it.

Smoothness; lack of burn. Sometimes there's a nice grain flavour.

Interesting, also, seeing as the vast majority of people use Vodka as a mixer (not much to taste anyway) - it makes you wonder how the "premium vodka" industry got so big.

damonjewel

I have never seen it in Ireland but I have seen it in other countries, Hortitsa vodka from Ukraine is for me the best, there is also Nemiroff which is also excellent. the best Vodkas for me on the Irish market is Russian standard and Wyborowa

I like to put my Vodka in the freezer to get that syrupy flow and drink it neat with my dinner, following a shot of vodka with a pickle or tomato.

I'd stay away from Irish/British vodkas as they are generally poor quality and freeze on you in the freezer. Put it this way would you drink Russian Whiskey?

BeerNut

donaghs wrote: »

it makes you wonder how the "premium vodka" industry got so big.

Same way any "premium" industry got big: marketing, and lots of it.

Tar.Aldarion

IrishWhiskeyCha wrote: »

My other half likes her Vodka and I get some unusual ones from a site in the UK and postage is fairly good taking into account the amount you save on 2-3 bottles. Shipping to Ireland is as follows 1 = £13, 2 = £15, 3 = £16, 4 = £17, 5 = £18 6 = £19 & 7-12 = £20

Check these guys out ...

The Whisky Exchange

And they have a great selection of Vodka

They have Smirnof Black & Standard Platinum for under £20 each plus many many more some of which mentioned already on here.

very nice thanks, and I love whiskey

Dave_Kilkenny

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

cheers guys, will have a look out. Never see the stuff though

And if your interested in buying domesticly - what ever works out cheaper for you I guess.

http://www.drinkstore.ie/SMIRNOFF-BLACK-700ML-5410316265164/