tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29063686.post5142738980209366816..comments2024-03-12T03:27:31.441-04:00Comments on Dougintology: Messing with vodkasIbidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15614529174562538070noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29063686.post-77035647503943405312011-06-20T17:24:57.811-04:002011-06-20T17:24:57.811-04:00Great review, Muffinmann. I'm sure I'll co...Great review, Muffinmann. I'm sure I'll come back to this many times in the years to come.Ibidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15614529174562538070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29063686.post-91701507428632808242011-06-20T12:07:42.041-04:002011-06-20T12:07:42.041-04:00Well, you asked a question. I'll try to answe...Well, you asked a question. I'll try to answer it as best I can. Bad vodka is easiest to find. It's at the bottom of the shelf, cheapest price, plastic, unrecognizable name. Sometimes Bartons, Popov, Zemkoff or Macormicks are common bad vodkas. <br /><br />High end vodkas are trickier, because once you get rid of the heat of the cheap vodka, the little nuances come out. <br /><br />Ethanol is a foul tasting chemical that happens to make people feel happy and social for temporary periods. Anyone who has had Everclear knows why it is diluted and mixed with flavors.<br /><br />Vodka is commonly 40% ethanol, so the rest is there to dilute and mask the ethanol.<br /><br />The more it is distilled the better. High end volitiles tend to burn more, and low end volitiles tend to be musty, darker, and foul. <br /><br />The substrates that are fermented affect the flavor as well. Potato seems to be cleaner, but slightly starchy, and does not mask the ethanol as well. Wheat has very faint cereal notes, and I think has a more typical vodka flavor.<br /><br />My brother got me to the opinion that Kettle One is the best vodka. However, many sites I checked rank Chopin (a potato vodka) as the best. (Too expensive for my taste).<br /><br />A few suggestions from me personally is that for its price Polar Ice is a great inexpensive vodka along the lines of Smirnoff and Absolute. Filtering through a water filter works quite well! I was at a place that did some homemade bacon infused vodka. Might be good in a bloody mary. Again, more distillation is generally better. You can always filter it more, but you cannot easily distill at home. Voxx might be good for this. Grey Goose is the most popular. It is really good, but has that distinct vodka flavor, but is much smoother than others.<br /><br />Summary: <br />Cheap - Popov (or equivient)<br />Moderate - Polar Ice (Smirnoff or Absolute)<br />High End - Grey Goose<br />The Best - Kettle One<br />The Best Alt - ChopinDer_Muffinmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00779520345186516132noreply@blogger.com