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huhIguess t1_j69s8or wrote

Reply to comment by -domi- in eli5: Why does cheap alcohol taste worse than nicer alcohol? by Chase_The_Dream

Is this true?

How often can people truly distinguish between a mid-shelf and top-shelf vodka? Or even a well?

Most surveys I remember - no one can tell the difference.

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Antman013 t1_j69u9nb wrote

I spent several years exploring an reviewing spirits. Vodka is meant to be "odorless, colorless and tasteless" by its very definition. So yeah, if you think the "average Joe" can tell them apart, you're kidding yourself.

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Where taste REALLY comes into play is for things like Whisky and Rum, where aging IS a factor.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b3mmj wrote

I wouldn't say this is true at all. Granted, if you gave me five top-shelf vodkas I doubt I would be able to point out which one is Chopin vs Grey Goose vs Belvedere or whatever... but if you put Belvedere against Popov I don't know of a single person who wouldn't be able to understand that Popov is total shit and Belvedere is way better than total shit.

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jrhooo t1_j6ap6p2 wrote

while this is true, I tend to feel like some of the French offerings tend to be that truly clinical, tasteless nothing, while some of the Dutch, Russian, or Polish brands have a bit of "character" to them.

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Antman013 t1_j6b868t wrote

My two favourites are Van Gogh Triple Wheat (Dutch), and Chopin Wheat. There is a craft distillery a couple hours away from me that uses Red Fife Wheat for their Vodka and Gin that I like VERY much, particularly as the first two are not stocked at my local LCBO.

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jrhooo t1_j6b8h32 wrote

Im going to have to try the Van Gogh. If you ever get around to it, you might appreciate effen as well. They do a few flavon infused, but their straight vodka is smooth and clean

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Antman013 t1_j6bauo5 wrote

I've had it. I have tried most of the non-flavoured Vodka carried in the LCBO here in Ontario, Canada, up to about 6 years ago. Probably about 100 different brands overall, including some stuff brought back from the States.

Then I got into whiskies.

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Detson101 t1_j6br8gi wrote

That’s maybe true at the mid-high end of vodka (although even there viscosity can be different), but the bad stuff definitely has a distinctive taste for the reasons all low quality spirits have a distinctive taste.

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Antman013 t1_j6cyda4 wrote

Believe what you like . . . I've done taste tests with Prince Igor and Grey Goose, and people would consistently pick Igor as often as Goose.

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The average person just doesn't have a developed enough palate to be that discerning. Hell, I only took it seriously for about 7 years, and I know I would still slip up. There are a couple of my "regular" brands that I can pick out, but that's it. If you poured two shots of random brands, 1 premium, 1 well stock, I would not be surprised to guess wrong between them.

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extacy1375 t1_j6bj43x wrote

Drinking vodka straight, I feel I can 100% tell the difference. For me its that smooth, no taste & no burn feel. I dont make "that face" after doing a shot of good vodka.

Mixed drink you can basically throw in anything and it gets covered up...for the most part.

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-domi- t1_j69sexh wrote

I'm not talking about mid-shelf. I'm talking the absolute cheapest shit on the market.

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huhIguess t1_j69szz5 wrote

Here's a survey that says people are split nearly 50/50 between top shelf and bottom shelf:

https://nypost.com/2013/05/26/post-taste-test-reveals-drinkers-cant-tell-good-from-cheap-vodka/

While I realize surveys are utter trash - I still think it's pretty common that the "average-person" will not be able to tell the difference.

Same with high quality bottled water vs low quality bottled water...

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sweetnumb t1_j6b3wz1 wrote

I do not at all believe that someone can't tell the difference between Popov and Belvedere 100% of the time. That article was talking about mixed drinks at bars though. Sure if you have 80% soda and 20% vodka it's going to be significantly harder to tell the difference... and in that case most people probably assume the shittier vodka just means the bartender poured a stronger drink so they'd like it better.

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-domi- t1_j69thip wrote

Fair enough. Now i wanna see what this upstate Syracuse thing tastes like. Cheap vodka I've had tasted like acidic rubbing alcohol.

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Antman013 t1_j69uk5l wrote

And Grey Goose is an overly hyped bottle of crap. I can provide you a number of ~$40.00 bottles that are FAR superior. I live in Ontario, Canada.

If you have access to Beattie's Farm crafted potato vodka, give it a shot.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b429t wrote

Grey Goose has been overhyped by rappers, sure. But it's really pretty good. Granted, I'd take Belvedere all day every day over Grey Goose, but if someone is offering Grey Goose I'm definitely not complaining.

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Antman013 t1_j6b7hbg wrote

Grey Goose is literally about marketing. The guy behind it spent thousands on slanted "surveys" where Grey Goose was compared against "well stock" brands, so naturally it would be the favourite. That led to the marketing campaign where the surveys were used as "proof" that it was the "best Vodka in the world". You can look up the history of it all. It;s a dang case study in marketing strategy.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b8b4o wrote

Yes... I agree with you. Overhyped by rappers.

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Diagonalizer t1_j6a466p wrote

Tito's is better than grey goose (not sure if you get Tito's in Canada but it's not as expensive as GG)

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Antman013 t1_j6a5r6x wrote

I agree. And yes, we do get it in Canada. But we also have better options, as well. My personal favourite in terms of Vodka was a a Dutch Vodka called Van Gogh Triple Wheat.

The gimmick was that they used three different varietals, grown in three different climates (prairie, mountain, and shoreline). It was interesting in that different palates would note different qualities. I tended to focus on a tinge of brininess (sea air), while a friend of mine would note a minerality to it.

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sweetnumb t1_j6b490x wrote

That's weird to me. I like Grey Goose significantly more than Tito's. I associate Tito's with "not terrible like Popov, but not great like Belvedere." It's definitely acceptable... but that's all I can say on it.

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jrhooo t1_j6aqjnd wrote

Grey Goose is "fine" but IMO its just "fine". Its the burger at a sit down restaurant. You know its floor will be pretty good. its a safe choice, but its not going to give you some high end "wow" experience.

Now, I won't say any of the following list is "high end" or special, but in terms of just drinkability, and hey I kind of enjoy this, I've liked

Ketel (for mixed drinks only)

Russian Standard (excellent value for money)

Imperia (russian standard's "premium" release, not sure if they still make it)

Stoli Elit (probably overhyped and very probably overpriced, but it is nice to drink)

Chopin (wheat only for me. The potato felt I guess "thick" in texture? I didn't like it so much)

Effen - very nice, drinkable, reasonably priced

Personal opinion on what I DON'T like, anything Scandinavian. Just never really found one I liked. Reyka was not bad, but but all the absolut, level, svedka... hard pass.

Hidden gem for you California folks,

Albertson's used to run a brand called "Origine" bit sure if its still around, but basically it was their in store brand of various alcohols. No idea who their supplier was, but IIRC each liquor under their label was just a small batch distillery offering. So their Origine vodka was just some micro distillery product out of France. It was nice.

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Antman013 t1_j6b7uqj wrote

Agree with you on Chopin Wheat. That is the one that led me to Triple Wheat by Van Gogh, which is just awesome.

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ArenSteele t1_j69ujfu wrote

Well I can’t, but my wife once ordered a martini with a specific vodka, and if they didn’t have that specific vodka to come back and she’ll change her order.

They brought the martini and after 1 sip, she sent it back because she could taste the wrong vodka.

The bartender came over to ask how she could tell (didn’t deny, just didn’t believe anyone could tell)

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Maltese_Vulcan t1_j69uojz wrote

Not vodka, but there was a [wine tasting in 1973] (https://www.vivino.com/wine-news/the-day-california-wine-beat-the-french-and-shocked-the-world) that proved that telling the difference between “lesser quality” California wines and the “obviously superior” French ones was a lot less cut and dried than they thought.

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Leovaderx t1_j6cauz5 wrote

Those french wines were not priced based on whether the average person is going to like them. So it would be silly to not expect that outcome.

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aspersioncast t1_j6br32d wrote

I’m sure there are people who can’t, but you can def develop your palate enough to tell shitty well vodka from a level or two up.

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chrisdavidson152 t1_j69ywas wrote

It really is easy tbh. I'm a cider or vodka drinker and have been drinking both since my late teens (25 years now) and I can very easily tell a crap from good vodka even when used with a mixer. I'm sure most vodka drinkers could (that like the good stuff).

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jrhooo t1_j6aqz5o wrote

I used to always say, you might not know the diff drinking it, but you'll know the diff when you wake up in the morning.

Granted, looking back that's still biased, because, plot twist, when you're drinking the bottom of the barrel cheapest vodka on the shelf, you're probably college/military junior enlisted age, at some bar or house party, and all that sub cheap plastic bottle vodka you're drinking is also mixed with the cheapest sugar slush you can find too.

Was it the cheap vodka making you hung over? Or the red bull and raspberry blue slushie mix?

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