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.

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.

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

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.

LOL . . . ya caught me.

Don't argue with me . . . my opinion is informed by conversations with a PhD who happens to be the Master Blender for J.P. Wiser's in Windsor. Take it up with him.

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.

Grain makes a difference. Number of distillations is a marketing tool, just as Tito's "made in Texas" nonsense is a marketing tool. They truck it in from Indiana (iirc), run it through their own still once, and this is what allows them to claim it's "Texas made".

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The reason I say that "number of distillations" is just marketing is in the way a column still works. There are plates all the way to the top of a column still which catch the condensate. Technically, each one of these plates can be considered a separate "distillation". So, a column still with 30 plates could legally claim to be "30X distilled)". Not that I have heard of any of them doing that. But no, running it through your column still more than once is not going to significantly improve the spirit. If you didn't get it right the first time, it's not going to get much better afterwards

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.

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.

Well, "taste" is a very subjective criteria, to start with. But, in the case of Vodka and Gin, two spirits which you can bottle as fast as you can make it (no aging requirements), what affects the quality of the spirit are the ingredients used to create it.

Specifically, what grain are you using when you distill it into alcohol, or what botanicals you use to infuse a flavour in creating your Gin. Both of these things can and will, impact the "taste".

In the case of whisky, there are aging requirements in most jurisdictions. Most of these also involve specifying the type of container used to age the spirit (wood). Aging in a wooden barrel allows for the lignen within the wood to be broken down by the volatility of the alcohol. In turn, the wood absorbs some of the harsher characteristics of that spirit, mellowing the taste. The longer the aging (to a degree) the more this impacts taste. Further, if you are aging the spirit in a barrel previously used for something else (like say wine), that too, will have an effect on taste.

Doing so prevents injury risk if they break during other renovations on site. It also mitigates against vandalism, as well as break-ins. And, as you noted, all windows would likely be replaced anyhow.

There are certain exceptions. Darts, for example. Canadian and American players can save money buying from European sites, even after you factor in shipping costs and currency conversion. And this includes buying American made darts.

For example, the way the NFL's broadcast contracts are structured, the owners could play all of their games in empty stadia, and they would STILL turn a profit.

This is EXTREMELY difficult to accomplish, however, and usually only done by folks wanting "bragging rights". So called "century shavers" . . . in a practical sense, there is simply no need to be this fanatical about edge wear on disposable blades.

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I have seen what both a safety blade and a straight razor edge look like under an electron scope, and u/Berek2501 is correct. The "edge" is actually a line of "peaks and valleys" which, after contact with your hair, have the tips rounded off or over. Honing is done to "straighten" or realign those peaks and valleys and restore that keen edge. It's quite fascinating to see how "uneven" a truly "straight edge" is under extreme magnification.

Yes. But you are also talking about a LOT more energy, as noted elsewhere in this thread.

The formation also allows the trailing birds to use less and less energy to remain aloft. This is why there is a regular change in the lead bird.

IS it something about the composition of the asphalt?

Because they offer loans at absurd interest rates with the expectation that you can/will NEVER repay the debt, and they will continue to collect from you an amount FAR GREATER than you ever borrowed in the first place.

Payday Loan Companies are only different in that they set their rates just below what a given jurisdiction would deem illegal.

Well, economically, it means that for every $1.00 spent in production costs, the reactor returns a $1.10 worth of electrical power (just made up #s). That means that energy prices will, inevitably, get lower and lower across the board.

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Now, think about your life if you no longer had to pay (or paid a MINIMAL COST) for electricity. How much MORE $$$ will you have to spend, in that scenario? Then factor in that EVERYONE, including businesses, will be in the same boat.

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Everyone LITERALLY becomes "wealthier overnight".

That is pro-lapsing. You can occasionally see examples of it on certain NSFW sites.

We clearly hang our in different subs. Most subs I frequent that have even a tangential relationship to politics (r/Toronto, for example, though I have left it) skew young and socialist.

Even a lot of "sports" related subs go that route.

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This could just be a function of the internet itself, but it IS there. Also, while my Lodge had it's share of "old white guys", we were actually fairly diverse (unsurprising, given the demographics of my home town).

While the online world can provide the same sense of fellowship, the membership is much less diverse than the groups mentioned. One need only look at certain sub-reddits for proof. The benefit to the community at large of these sorts of groups is what I was getting at earlier.

A brother Lodge to mine used to host an annual "Wild Game Night", as the majority were hunters and fishermen. Oh my God, the FOOD.

Arctic Char from the Northwest Territory

Wild Boar

Venison

Black Bear

Bison Steaks

Small country in Africa. Google it.