Your super-premium vodka is custom-distilled by...Archer Daniels Midland

[MikeLM]

Funny article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal:

Vodka is - according to the author - not well suited for distillation in a pot still, the usual device for hand-crafted liquors. So, the alcohol of choice is industrial-grade beverage alcohol produced at 190 proof by ADM and several other industrial distillers. It is shipped in - your choice - either rail tankers or tanker trucks to the bottlers of high-society vodka, who cut it with some kind of designer water and fashion an advertising campaign based on some "hook" that their marketers hope will catch your imagination. A kicky label helps, too.

Bottoms up!

Actually, my vodka of choice is a pretty good paintbrush cleaner, too.

Mike

[Tasty Thoughts]

This posting has my boyfriend laughing. As a partial owner of a vodka company, he has told me since the day I met him that all vodkas are the same. The only difference is the packaging. Although he is a discriminating eater, when ordering vodka drinks he always requests the house vodka. No need to pay more for the same product.

[MikeLM]

Interesting to have confirmation from an "insider."

As the New Yourker magazine used to headline a funny anecdote about advertising... "There Will Always be an Adman." I notice an ad in the WSJ for Tommy Bahama brand "Super-Premium Rum."

Why is it Super-Premium? Because they charge a high price, I suppose.

Mike

[Tarabel]

But what about the differnce in taste between say Ciroc, Ketel One, Luksusowa and Smirnoff or Taaka?

[Indigo_Swale]

Originally Posted by Tasty Thoughts

This posting has my boyfriend laughing. As a partial owner of a vodka company, he has told me since the day I met him that all vodkas are the same. The only difference is the packaging. Although he is a discriminating eater, when ordering vodka drinks he always requests the house vodka. No need to pay more for the same product.

Yes, I've heard this, too....But I have such a hard time believing it! I could swear I taste a difference between vodka purportedly made from potatoes vs. vodka purportedly made from wheat (e.g. grey goose.) Am I crazy?

Also, I just find Grey Goose smoother somehow, and preferable to, say, Popov. Oh well. Call me a dupe, I guess!

[Tasty Thoughts]

Typically, vodka is consumed with a mixer as opposed to straight up, so it can be harder to determine if there is a difference in flavor.

[Lana]

[quote=Indigo_Swale;194031] I could swear I taste a difference between vodka purportedly made from potatoes vs. vodka purportedly made from wheat (e.g. grey goose.) Am I crazy?

/quote]

I had a friend that worked at a liquor store and wrote bev reviews for a local mag. I am a gin drinker, so I never really got into the vodka scene....until I was introduced this potaot vodka.
Thing is...I can't remember the name.

It is made in Russia and imported. The name is pretty much not English friendly....and it starts with either R or P. It is NONE of the vodkas that people talk about.

I remember him saying that it was one of ONLY two Russian potato vodkas sold in the US???? I will have to go back to the store and look it up.

All that being said, potato vodka is much better than grain made. For me anyway, vodka, even the top shelf stuff, tastes like rubbing alcohol. Except for that potato vodka.

I will find the name of it an post it.

But you are definately right about Grey Goose being beter than Popov....yuk. Tastes like finger nail polish remover.

[MikeLM]

Well, let us know the name of that Russian potato vodka.

There is a Polish potato vodka that I think is maybe a cut above ADM's stuff- it's Luxuskova (or something close to that. My Polish could not be called fluent.) It runs about $20 for a big one in Illinois, which could not be accused of low liquor prices, except for the state-controlled monopolies like Pennsylvania.

Alchol prices in Illinois went up about 30% right after George Ryan was elected governor a few years ago. A major contributor to Ryan, Bill Wirtz, who controlled most liquor distribution in the state, died a month to so ago. He was described, by an executive to whom I used to report, as the nastiest human being he had ever dealt with.

Governor Ryan in scheduled to report to Federal prison in about a week for racketeering and corruption convictions.

What comes around, goes around... maybe.

Mike

[oldschool1982]

That's interesting. Illinois used to boast about the lowest Liquor prices in the country. What a shame. Gotta love our system sometimes. NOT!

Typically, vodka is consumed with a mixer as opposed to straight up,

Not in this household. Unless it's the cheap stuff..... Good vodka should stand alone and not need any added flavorings or mixers.. Except maybe the occasional olive or lemon twist. It always seems to be a waste of money ordering a top shelf vodka to mix with your Bloody Mary or whatever you mix it with.
About the very best Vodka I've ever had was Wyborowa. I'm not sure if it's available anylonger in the states but we served it at several places I worked at. Most of the stuff out there tasted like lighter fluid next to the Wyborowa. Never tried the Luxuskova.

Other than Stoli (yes I know it's not a potato vodka) I've never seen a Russian Potato Vodka. I'd heard they only used wheat, corn or rye mash in the alcohol distillate process. The Pol's were the only ones to use the potato. Again that was always my understanding.

[MikeLM]

Ex-governor Ryan reports to Federal prison tomorrow; lost his last appeal

Mike

[oldschool1982]

Found an American made Potato Vodka called Teton Glacier. Picked up a bottle of it and just tried it up against some Absolute. Had a very nice flavor and somewhat smoother than the Absolute. I guess the best test would be to put it up against another Potato Vodka but this was all I had.

[stir it up]

so if ADM is making it, I guess it's genetically modified vodka then?

There was a fun documentary about vodkas, they did blind taste testing on grey goose and others including on a group with some pretentious grey goose orderers, blind they scored GG at the bottom, under some really generic vodkas. It was amusing to watch what they had to say about it blind, how bad it was, when before the blind taste they were saying why it tasted so good and was so much better than the others. Never liked the goose, overrated and hyped brand IMO.

I saw the Teton recently at the boozeteria, is it worth picking up oldschool? I am pretty slow going through the vodka, sip it straight too, still working on a large bottle of Belvedere (polish, rye). BTW is it silly of me to keep it in the freezer, I let the cold edge off it a little before I drink it but I've been drinking it fairly cold and straight. The stoli we keep at room temp for hubby's black russians.

Thanks for mentioning those two the Wyborowa and Luxuskova, I don't know all that much about finer vodkas, would like to try something different.

[oldschool1982]

Originally Posted by stir it up

I saw the Teton recently at the boozeteria, is it worth picking up oldschool? I am pretty slow going through the vodka, sip it straight too, still working on a large bottle of Belvedere (polish, rye). BTW is it silly of me to keep it in the freezer, I let the cold edge off it a little before I drink it but I've been drinking it fairly cold and straight. The stoli we keep at room temp for hubby's black russians.

Thanks for mentioning those two the Wyborowa and Luxuskova, I don't know all that much about finer vodkas, would like to try something different.

The Teton Glacier is worth the purchase. I think I paid 18.00 for the fifth. About 10 bucks less than the Stoli and Absolute. Like the Belevidere, Chopin, Grey Goose too. They are all sipp'n style vodkas for me. No mixers with any of those. Use the cheap stuff with the mixers.

As far as the freezer goes? Always a good idea. If I had the space here they'd be in there too. For me the taste kinda explodes in your mouth when you sip it. Also liked sipping it straight up and in the special vodka viles. Alway enjoyed that part of the evening when I would eat at Papa's (i think it was originally named Papa Piroski's) in Atlanta

[foodpump]

Waaay back when, I worked at at place where the bartender would keep the vodka in the kitchen freezer walk-in. He would take the full bottle of vodka stick it in an empty can, fill the can with water, and freeze the water solid. Once the can was taken off, the whole bottle, ice and all, would be wrapped in a napkin and presented to the customer.

Quite the sensation, vodka ice cold, (literally) and with a thick syrupy texture. I spent a lot more time in that walk-in than I should have.....

[Hans]

Originally Posted by MikeLM

Funny article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal:

Vodka is - according to the author - not well suited for distillation in a pot still, the usual device for hand-crafted liquors. So, the alcohol of choice is industrial-grade beverage alcohol produced at 190 proof by ADM and several other industrial distillers. It is shipped in - your choice - either rail tankers or tanker trucks to the bottlers of high-society vodka, who cut it with some kind of designer water and fashion an advertising campaign based on some "hook" that their marketers hope will catch your imagination. A kicky label helps, too.

Mike

It was a good article, and it is true that a lot of vodka's are really produced at ethanol distilleries like ADM.

However, there is a lot of misinformation about vodka too.

1. They don't all taste the same. Better vodka's will have some flavor characteristics from their source ingredient. You CAN tell the difference between a corn, wheat, rye and a potato vodka.

2. Most vodkas come from Ethanol plants like ADM, but many- in particular the small craft distilleries produce their own or blend their own with a large distilleries product.

3. Potato vodkas can be good and they can be bad, but there are only two potato distilleries in the US. One is in Rigby Idaho and produces 15 different brands, the other is in Maine. Personally I think potato vodkas have a taste that reminds me of the smell of boiling potatos.

4. Generally speaking, the poorest quality vodka's are made from corn, but corn is the cheapest grain and a company thinking they are going to get rich quick selling vodka can buy corn distillate from the big ethanol plants, package it in a pretty bottle, spend millions marketing it and hope for the best. I have personally seen about a dozen vodka's come on the market this past year and all but two are already gone.

5. Think all vodka's are the same? It's easy to prove to yourself- try a side by side taste test. Only a fool (even one that own's a distillery) would say they are all the same. Likewise, a rail vodka is going to leave you feeling a lot worse in the morning than a well produced premium.

6. Want good vodka? Try some of the products from some of the artisanal distilleries that are popping up all over the country.

(Disclaimer- I am one of those artisan distillers)