Vodka – that finest of Russian liquors. Some like to sip it alone and you can hardly make a martini (a very suave drink, made famous by James Bond) without it. Traditionally, in Russia anyway, vodka is made from distilling potatoes. However, as it’s spread around the world, it’s been made with wheat grains, including the two brands I’m reviewing: Grey Goose and Svedka.
Svedka is imported from Sweden and costs around $10-$15 for a 1-liter bottle. Not a bad price. Pretty much all vodka is around a 40% alcohol by volume, aka 80-proof, so it’s a very stout drink and though it sounds expensive, if you’re calculating the price by actual alcohol, it might even be cheaper than a beer. Plus, if you’re making martinis with it, that one liter will last quite a while.
All things considered, Svedka is on the low-end of cost for Vodka, while still being a fairly well-recognized brand name. But let me tell you: lower-range tequilas may not have much difference in flavor vs. price, but that’s not at all true for vodkas.
On Svedka’s website, they say in order to make the drink, they distill over three pounds of high-quality Swedish wheat for over 40 hours in their innovative five-column process. Then, they blend the resulting alcohol with spring water.
The Svedka bottle itself is slightly plain, but minimalist in design and it seems to work. It closes with a screw-on aluminum lid. You can get Svedka’s vodka in four flavors in addition to the originial: lime, orange, raspberry, and vanilla and I have to admit that I haven’t tried the other flavors.
When you smell Svedka vodka, the plain flavor, it smells a lot like rubbing alcohol and you can swear you feel some of the fumes going up your nose. When you put it in your mouth, it’s a little thin but is still somehow a bit grainy or starchy. Even a little sip will inflame your mouth, throat and sinuses (which may be no surprise, given the 40% alcohol content) and the overall impression I get is that it’s kind of tart and puckers your lips.
Svedka vodka is not really a drink you want to sit around and sip. That also means it’s not a drink you want to make a dry martini with (since its main flavor is the vodka). Svedka does work more or less fine with martini mixers, since they include a hefty dose of sugar/syrup and their own flavor. I’ve had friends complain the resulting drink is more like cough syrup, but they don’t drink much anyway, and I like it just fine.
On the other hand, you have a vodka like Grey Goose. It was recommended to me by friends or I might not have shelled out the cash. A 750 mL bottle (wine size) will put you back a minimum of $20 and maybe up to $40. But you really get what you pay for, and then some, maybe.
On the Grey Goose website, they proudly proclaim themselves as the “World’s Best Tasting Vodka.” I’m pretty sure they’re not just claiming it for themselves, but have been told that on numerous ocassions. Their vodka is made in the Cognac region of France (also known for its great cognac) using the finest French wheat and natural spring water, then filtering it all through champagne limestone. Now, I don’t know how the specifics of this affect it, but I can tell you it works.
The Grey Goose vodka bottle is a nice bit of artwork with frosted glass opening in the center to see a nice picture on the back of the bottle. The picture I took doesn’t do it justice because of the flash, but I can tell you the bottle just looks nicer sitting around. It closes with a cork attached to the lid and that seems to me to make it easier to use, while trapping in the flavors and freshness better than a screw-on aluminum lid.
In addition to the original flavor, you can get Grey Goose vodka in Vanilla (La Vanille), Orange (L’orange), Lemon (Le Citron) and Pear (La Poire). These are mainly good for making different types of mixed drinks, like fruit-flavored martinis. Don’t expect these fruit flavors to be overpowering, they’re really just a hint of their flavor added to the vodka. I’ve also tried La Vanille and I think the extra hint of vanilla boosts the overall flavor just a bit.
When you smell Grey Goose vodka it smells like a strong crisp wine, a very pleasant smell. You take a sip and it’s surprisingly thick. But instead of being thick and bitter, it’s very smooth on both the tongue and in your throat. While sipping, Grey Goose causes no inflammation of the mouth and sinuses like Svedka Vodka. Even with a quick drink, the burn is noticeable, but it doesn’t blast your sinuses, it still remains smooth.
These characteristics make Grey Goose vodka perfect for sipping, making dry martinis or any kind. Even when quite diluted with martini mixers, it still pulls the drink together with its overall smoothness and quality of flavor. To enjoy Grey Goose vodka you’re going to spend a few extra bucks, but you’ll be glad you did.
