Super Expensive Vodka - worth it or not ??

[autofocus]

Hi there,

I popped in to see one of my clients today. He had just taken delivery of this : -



Whilst there he cracked it open for us to try. Have to say its probably one of the nicest Vodkas I have ever tried. We were all surprised at just how much flavour it had given that it is has been distilled 159 times. Its really smooth and would make a great Vodka Martini (would be a flippin expensive drink though).

Has a great story which you can view here: - http://www.hdwclix.com/home.aspx

I prefer Gin to Vodka, but this one is certainly interesting and looked great on his bar. I think he has the only bottle outside of London given that there are only 2000 worldwide and probably only 30 in the UK.

Price - well, it cost him £300. Is there really a case for a super premium vodka at this price level ?

Regards

Tim

[randlemarcus]

Technically, it's been distilled four times, rather than 159, but that's the marketing write-up.

I suspect for taste, vodka tops out long before whisky. I'd be uncomfortable paying more than fifty or so. Rarity value adds a lot, plus that box is lovely.

[BrabusMog]

When I was in Uzbekistan we were drinking a vodka that cost about £7 and it honestly tasted better than any "premium" vodka I've ever tried. I wish I had brought some back with me now.

[bigdom]

Probably not. I recently bought a bottle of Koniks Tail after tasting some at the whisky exchange, very good for around £30.

[Mobile Chicane]

Many years ago now (sadly) I found 'Odin' 4-times distilled vodka for 8 euros a bottle in a hypermarket in Calais. In blind tastings, it knocked its premium rivals into a cocked hat.

I'm of Estonian heritage. We know something about vodka. My father would distill his home-brewed vodka four times, and as far as I'm concerned, that's the minimum.

[Cheese Mechanic]

I'm of the opinion that no super expensive beverage is worth the cost, be it whisky, Vodka, Rum etc.

The law of diminishing returns applies, and personally, I'd not spend more than £80 a bottlle on anything, be it rare or whatever it may be.

As for Vodka specifically, I have tried some premium brands but not felt the need to repeat the exercise, especially when the likes of Zubrowka is so good and still way south of £20. Snow Queen is good to, if you fancy spending a little more.

[Dr G]

Sobieski - fairly standard, popular Polish brand I thought was particularly good and is not at all expensive (although not sold over here).

Chase at ~£30 for a bottle is both very nice and very different to the more usual (grain) vodkas.

If someone offered me a taste of a £300 vodka I'd jump at the opportunity but like a couple of posters already suggested, I could never bring myself to spend that much. I'd put the same money into 3 delicious whiskies and have plenty of change for some very decent vodkas too.

[mcflurry]

Cheese Mechanic said:

I'm of the opinion that no super expensive beverage is worth the cost, be it whisky, Vodka, Rum etc.

IMHO i'd agree with you on Vodka, as the raw ingredient is mashed, distilled and filtered.

However, rum and whisk(e)y pick up the flavours from the storage / barrels, aging and skills of the distillers and blenders.

[Puggit]

I hope he took his £300 bottle of vodka out of the freezer to serve it?!

[jogon]

Another vote for Chase, supporting British produce and all. Their Gin is rather special too both the apple, was reduced last week in Waitrose, and the extra dry.

[Baryonyx]

IME no. You pay more for a good name but really you're just getting a fancy bottle. Vodka just doesn't have the depth of gin or whisky. Sure, you want a delicate, smooth drinking vodka, but you can get that sort of thing for less than £20 a bottle. Once you mix it, the point becomes even more moot.

[hairykrishna]

Bizarre. The whole marketing seems to be based around extensive distilling and how 'pure' it is. I've got some lab ethanol here which is far superior by that reasoning. Nice box though.

[Silverbullet767]

Grey Goose first then Russian Standard get my votes.
Finlandia is also pretty good. Smirnoff is vile by comparison.

Any others I can easily pick up in a supermarket?

[Mobile Chicane]

Silverbullet767 said:

Grey Goose first then Russian Standard get my votes.
Finlandia is also pretty good. Smirnoff is vile by comparison.

Any others I can easily pick up in a supermarket?

Try:

Green Mark (from Asda)
Danoff (from Waitrose)

Most people have never heard of either and asssume that because they're cheap, they must be crap.

I can assure you they're not.

[George7]

Cheese Mechanic said:

I'm of the opinion that no super expensive beverage is worth the cost, be it whisky, Vodka, Rum etc.

The law of diminishing returns applies, and personally, I'd not spend more than £80 a bottlle on anything, be it rare or whatever it may be.

As for Vodka specifically, I have tried some premium brands but not felt the need to repeat the exercise, especially when the likes of Zubrowka is so good and still way south of £20. Snow Queen is good to, if you fancy spending a little more.

I didn't think a lot of Żubrówka. Out of the standard Polish brands, I found Sobieski to be the smoothest and most pleasant, also, Bruce Willis was on the bottle, which was quite amusing.



The nicest Vodka I've had to this day is 42 below, which is from New Zealand and can be picked up for below £20 a bottle fairly easily, and I've tried lots of far more expensive Vodkas.