Tastes

There might be a slight mineral smell on the nose, but that's about it. It has a bit more character to its flavor than Platinum 7X, but it's also a fair bit harsher. It isn't super harsh, but it definitely isn't as smooth. There's more sweetness than bitterness here and there's a nice balance of earth with some bit of grain. At times, I think there's a faint hint of fruit, but I'm not quite sure what. It's more toward the citrus side though. I like the Platinum 7X better, but this is surprisingly no slouch. The harshness has a clean peppery element to it that works. There's nothing really exciting here, but it's fairly well rounded. A respectable choice. I really thought that this would taste horribly like chemicals, but it's more of just a fairly mild, ho-hum vodka with some nice but fairly nondescript richness and sweetness. There is something a tad odd in the flavor that I can't quite place, but it's still a solid vodka. The richness here definitely has some bitterness that is a bit more akin to rubber than Platinum 7X is, but there's a hint of fruitiness in it too. Not bad, but not special either.

This doesn't seem as smooth this time. It's still fairly sweet, but it has something a tad herbal and off. I don't think this deserves a 15 anymore. It isn't incredibly smooth and tastes a bit off, so I'm dropping it substantially. It tastes like it's trying to start having a genuine rye and corn flavor but it doesn't have the same genuine graininess as Kirkland French vodka.

Despite its 7x distillation, there is some nose here. That nose really just is an alcohol warmth though. Maybe a hair of a sweet scent. The palate is actually quite nice. It's very smooth, though it does have a hint of harshness, which doesn't seem like pepperiness in this case. The palate has that same smooth warm fullness that the nose suggests and that Chopin Wheat has. The mouth feel is excellent and flavors a re solid enough. There's clear sweetness and a bit of earth that plays just a tad with rubber unfortunately. There's an occasional faint lemony hint, but not much. It doesn't have that refreshing graininess that the Chopin has that reminds me of a field of wheat on a crisp autumn day, but it does have just a nice sweetness and a more neutral flavor. It's kind of like just sipping clean water. I'd put this up there in the Chopin Wheat ballpark. I think I'd still take Chopin by a smidge, but this is far better than I expected. There isn't much on the finish - really just some slightly sweet, clean, viscous warmth. Dangerously drinkable all on its own and a more traditional experience than Starr Blu. I'd definitely say it's on the sweet side for a vodka, but I don't object to that.

The spice really builds while drinking this. Its body is more substantial than Skyy's. There's a lot more fruit going on here, which is kind of nice. Actually, after drinking a couple of other vodkas, the rubber flavor is gone and it's mostly a fruity, spicy vodka. So, I don't think this is a very reliable tasting and I won't give a score. Right now though, aside from the harshness, I'm rather liking this vodka.

Good Lord, this is so harsh (not spicy) with tons of alcohol flavor! It's like it took to worst elements of UV vodka and Veil vodka and put them together. There's a little bit of nice sweetness and fruit in here, but they are overwhelmed. I can imagine that this could be mixed, but it's pretty awful. I'll bump it up a tad for the fruitiness though.

The nose is pretty much not there, though there's some alcohol and a faint hint of earth. The palate is super harsh, but it does have a nice fruitiness to it. There's an upsetting amount of rubber flavor in here too though. The profile reminds me of Starr Blu's, but more harsh and with a more flawed fruity profile. The harshness is really excessive here. There's a peppery flavor like pepper - perhaps mixed with some salt - dumped directly down my throat. Painful! And it has the rubber flavor too. This is quite bad. It's a 7 at best. I think I'm going to start out with a 6 here.

On second tasting, this is more at the quality of veil vodka, so not a 12. The harshness is really a problem. It's earthier and richer (but less herbal) with some more citrus than belvedere, but its spiciness is also harsher.

There's maybe a hint of earth on the nose, but otherwise nothing. The palate is quite bland. It's generally neutral, but there's some bitterness. It's quite peppery, with a hint of white pepper herbaceousness. The earth brings in a bit of nutty richness too. It isn't bad, but it's not exciting. I'd have trouble going much above a 12 or below a 10. It lacks the soft roundness of the Chopin Wheat, as well as the subtle grain. In comparison, this is much more peppery and it has a nice hint of fruit. There's also a faint hint of petrol, but it's not too bad. The pepper makes it fairly harsh though, so it isn't as hedonistic as the Chopin. Its flavors are good though. I'd say this is more on the 12 end than the 10 end. The earthiness suggests a potato base for this vodka. I can't put this above a 12 because it's so harsh, unfortunately. I might have been off-base with that potato comment. This is less earthy than Kirkland French vodka (the red one) but also less rich and more harsh. This isn't as good by a fair margin because the harshness is substantial and the flavor isn't better.

I actually like this more than belvedere. It's sweeter with a cleaner profile and some fun fruitiness. Still not a standard vodka, but I like its personality. I'm getting more tropical fruits this time - banana, mango, and still some of the curacao oily nuttiness and orange. Not an exciting outcome, but I'm maintaining my original rating. I'm shocked, but I dig this vodka.

Smells like nothing. The palate has some nice spiciness and fruitiness - perhaps I didn't clean the glass adequately? It's peppery and the fruit is nectary with sort of an apricot fruitiness. There's some alcohol presence, but actually not too much. It's pretty enjoyable in a weird way. This is a super fruity vodka! It's not quite as harsh as UV vodka and the fruitiness is nice and refreshing, but it's far harsher than Chopin Wheat. There's almost a hint of curacao or cognac. This is actually borderline sippable. It compares pretty nicely with Chopin Wheat. I'm thinking around a 15. It is a bit odd, but it has a nicer, more convincing fruitiness than the flavored vodkas I've tried. It's unusual, but not bad. I can't push it up past a 15 because it's still quite harsh. It's somewhere in harshness between the Kirkland French (red) vodka and UV. I actually enjoy this. Yeah, I can taste some alcohol, but it's not too bad.