I should have mentioned zubrowka earlier, converse. I rate it a close third to stoli elit. the are more like 2 and 2a.
XO has a noticeable burn not just the usual warm twinge but a sharp, tingling mouth feel and its profile was kind of dominated by a cinnamon flavor which didn't win it any more points with me. Life is preference, ha?
i get no burn from XO. the cinnamon/vanilla notes are there from distillation but not added flavoring. try elit and zubrowka also. Also, I rattle the ice around with the vodka for a bit to open it up. smoothes it out a little more. however, it is pretty ******* smooth, since it is NINE times distilled, charcoal filtered, and micro-oxygenated. *** you aren't the poster from above that was going to check the stuff out were you.
Just a question, but why would you want to drink expensive vodka straight when you could drink cheaper vodka with grapefruit or cranberry juice? It tastes better and is cheaper. I don't get it.
^ ^ I don't drink vodka with cranberry of grapefruit juice because XO, stoli elit and zubrowka taste better on the rocks, to me.
Jesus christ, scottsins. $50 for a 750ml? XO better not just be good, it better vaccuum my floors and feed my dog for that price. Lord - even the hangar one that I prefer lately (and no, I haven't tried XO, but I will) isn't $50 at a discount online retailer for a 750.
<outraged internet poster guy> 66% more isn't "a little more money." Clearly you have no sense of worth, and are here simply to rub our noses in your bourgeois affectations. <outraged internet poster guy> Considering I pay that much for the tequila I drink, I can't really get too upset. I"ll try it ...
I tried it. It's excellent vodka (XO). Not sure I can afford that cost if I'm out drinking (the bar in here in NYC charged $19 for it), but it was damn good vodka. No burn at all, finish like cinnamon.
ok as the thread starter thanks everyone this has been a wealth of info to a non vodka drinker. FWIW I went with Dripping Springs and it was well rec'd. They said they'd seen it but never tried it. Thanks again guys....now lets get on to some Horn football!!!!!!!!
For the money, my favorite is Rain. It's really smooth with not much of an after taste. And I drink the **** out of some vodka. If I've got the cash, give me the Goose every time.
the best vodka under 30 dollars a bottle is clearly zubrowka. if that is your price point, then you need to go get a bottle at spec's, drink on the rocks...blah blah.
Pearl vodka from Canada. Very smooth and reasonably priced. I haven't tried XO but I'm interested in how it compares. Anyone else tried pearl and XO, and compared the two?
I was at a home vodka tasting event a couple of years ago. There was a tie for the win: "White Gold", an inexpensive but very smooth Russian vodka "XO", an expensive but unique tasting French vodka I buy White Gold all the time from Spec's now. Good stuff. Most people liked XO the best, but it had a unique taste that turned a few people off. If there's a vodka that you should drink on the rocks, it's XO. I can't believe I ever used to buy Tito's. That stuff is raunchy now. I believe Tito's ranked near the bottom of the taste test. Belvedere and Shustoff were somewhere in the middle. There was one other cheap vodka, maybe Polar Ice or something, that ranked just below Tito's at the bottom.
There is a Vodka called Tanqueray Sterling that is out, it is very clean and nice. Grey Goose has a slight berry flavor to it. You can only taste it if you try another vodka first, then the Goose. The Tanqueray is very good, without the slight berry taste. The reason for buying more expensive vodkas, is the process they go through, the number of distillations, and filtering processes. The more processes, the more impurities will be removed. This will keep you from tasting lousy vodka, or getting a headache. (unless you drink WAY too much) ( I have been guilty of this before..) I have tried every Vodka on the Planet. In 2001, I was the distiller at Tito's when they won the Double Gold. Tito and I used to buy and taste all the vodkas we considered competition, then, I would stay up all night with the stills to make sure the product was perfect, while Tito chased his ex, Tasha, and his present wife, Lori. (and others)lol.... Anyway, you are right about Tito's. He sold over 150k cases last year, and made a profit of over $5 million. His production has increased, and the quality has decreased. I suspect his life is still pretty good.
I've never been more excited to drink me some XO vodka (and that includes my tequila-induced desire to sit in the spinning chair in the corner of border-town while a mexican midget poors koolaid-flavored spirits in my mouth at 4500 rpm while I choke down my own vomit). I am a HUGE fan of polish bison-grass vodka (and I've had the actual thought-provoking stuff straight from Poland), even if it has been hobbled by American law. Will be buying some XO this evening and toasting to the fact that, in this market, I can't afford a second bottle of it (or the first - for that matter).
grad, just in case it got lost somewhere in this thread, you can get a pretty good, now legal version of bison grass vodka at Spec's. Zubrowka is the one I am referring to.
Wow. Thanks for the XO advice....I'm a Belvedere guy. Had dinner at a French restaurant tonight (Bijoux in Dallas) and it was great in a martini. I don't think I've ever downed one that quick...if not for wanting wine with dinner, there's no telling how many of those I would have ordered. X-O- llent!
scottsins, Bijoux is 1 of 5 Five-Star restaurants in Dallas (according to the DMN) located in Inwood Village. I had never been there until last night for Restaurant Week. It was very good. I was pretty sure walking in that I would find XO to try. It's a Prix fixe menu place where you can choose 3, 5, or 9 course meals. All diners receive a complimentary amuse-bouche to start and mignardises (an assortment of sweets) to close the meal (even the Restaurant Week diners)....as well as a palate cleanser or two. It's small and elegant, but also has a private dining room that will hold up to 25 or so people with a hidden video screen that is used for corporate meetings mostly according to one of the staff we quizzed. Incredible service without any pretension. The food was great. I had pork belly for an appetizer and new york strip for an entree and a bunch of other little and tasty things that I didn't know what I was eating (actually they tell you all the details with each presentation, but I didn't take notes). I would definitely go back and order off the regular menu. The Chef/owner is hands on and out in the dining room quite often making sure his guests are happy. Check out the review in the Dallas Morning News. The Review Bijoux's website: www.bijouxrestaurant.com/
I had some Boru Vodka from Ireland (go figure) on Saturday and it was devastatingly good. I'm putting it up there alongside XO.
I have no doubt that people delude, or to put it more charitably, convince themselves that more expensive products are superior. (see recent study involving wine). All the more so if the product is obscure. And just because one is able to differentiate between competing brands of vodka does not necessarily mean that a vodka is better; only that one can tell the difference. Personally, I find those who extol the virtues of ultra-premium liquor tend to be shallow and beset with affectation. They fancy themselves as the true arbiters of what is real, edgy, quality.... It's a passing phase for most. For others it remains an integral part of their lifestyle. These people are usually males who never marry. Here's the link to the 2005 NYT article crowning Smirnoff as #1. www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/dining/26wine.html?scp=1&sq=vodka%20taste%20test&st=cse
