Tastes

Nose - sweet soft grain, vanilla custard, marshmallow, black pepper, nutmeg, earthy herbal and vegetal notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet soft grain, lemon and grapefruit zest, creamy vanilla, marshmallow, nutmeg, herbal notes, floral tea, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with soft grain, citrus zest, sweet vanilla, and floral notes. What a step up from the standard Absolut! It’s not a night and day difference, but all the parts I didn’t like about it’s little brother have been improved. The nose is much softer, with earthy vanilla and a really nice marshmallow note balancing some pepper and baking spices. The palate is equally nice. It’s exceedingly neutral, but some pleasant citrus and floral notes accompany the same marshmallow and baking spice characteristics. Overall, this is really good vodka. It’s a tough call between this and Stoli or Ketel One, but I’m leaning towards the Elyx at the moment. And I’d say it’s superior to Beluga and Russian Standard. The alcohol is present, but there’s no harshness to be found. So what’s the catch? Well, this is $40+ a bottle, easily double the price of Stoli and almost double the price of Ketel One. It’s not two times better than them, but it might be better enough to spring for a bottle if you want something fancy. The bottle design is also beautiful and looks nice on the bar. And I have no qualms saying I’d rather drink this than Jim Beam Original most days.

Nose - sweet grain, vanilla, black pepper, dry herbal notes, lemon zest, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet and spicy grain, earthy vanilla, paper, black pepper, dry herbal notes, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with black pepper, sweet grain, and dry herbal flavors. Given the extremely high expert review, I’m pretty disappointed. This isn’t bad vodka. It’s just perfectly mediocre. The nose is sweet and earthy with some prominent black pepper. The palate is similar, but some of the Tito’s paper taste sneaks in just a bit. Overall, Absolut isn’t good enough to notch it above the rest of the pack. It’s also the same price as Stoli, which is more robust and complex, so I won’t be buying a bottle of this. I’d rather pick up a bottle of Jim Beam Original and save a few bucks.

Nose - bright grain, bitter herbal notes, black pepper, lemon pith, earthy vanilla, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - soft grain, black pepper, lemon zest, dry herbal and floral notes, creamy vanilla, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short and silky with sweet green, creamy vanilla, and black pepper flavors. After reading some very positive reviews, I’m immediately disappointed with the nose. I was unpleasantly surprised by the level of astringent grain aroma that is present. Of the vodkas that have been part of this series, it’s close to the top of the ethanol burn index. It’s not robust and chalky like I found Stoli and Russian Standard to be. It’s just mediocre and hot. The palate is a completely different story, though. The harsh grain on the nose is now extremely soft. The mouthfeel is oily and velvety smooth. The dominant flavors are the standard black pepper and citrus, but there’s a vanilla note that comes across as pleasantly creamier than on other vodkas. It’s definitely in the upper echelon of vodka palates I’ve experienced. Overall I’m split here, but I think the quality of the palate overcomes the disappointment of the nose. Beluga is not quite playing the same game as other vodkas. It’s considered unflavored, but there are additives thrown in the mix. I can’t taste them specifically, but I’m sure the extra engineering is responsible for the superior palate and texture. Regardless, I don’t take this into account with my assessments. I judge only on how much I like the end result. And I like this. It’s right up there with Stoli and Ketel One. I’d need to taste them side by side to give one the edge over the others. However, this is almost double the price of Stoli near me, so it’s probably not the one I’d reach for first. And for all these reasons, it’s about on par with Jim Beam Original for me.

Nose - chalky grain, black pepper, lemon zest, mineral water, dry herbal notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - chalky grain, black pepper, coriander, lemon and orange zest, mineral water, vanilla, herbal and floral notes, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short and slightly viscous with chalky grain, black pepper, and dry herbal flavors. This is an exceedingly neutral, yet robust vodka. I would compare it most to Stoli, but I don’t think it’s quite as good. The nose here is quintessential vodka, with the most notable qualities being a very grain-forward presence and a stronger pepper note than most of the competition. Again the palate resembles Stoli, but it’s definitely more austere, with less fruitiness and grassiness. This is good, no nonsense vodka. It hits all the right notes without adding any fluff to the experience. The mouthfeel is full and the finish is clean. I’m going to notch this above the pack, but just barely. I’d rather drink Stoli, which also happens to be $3 less a bottle. And I’d rather drink Jim Beam Original most days as well.

Nose - soft grain, lavender, coriander, white pepper, floral soap, mint, lemon lime soda, earthy cocoa, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - soft grain, lemon lime soda, lavender, rose, powdered sugar, mint, ginger, vanilla, white pepper, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast with floral, citrus juice, mint, and pepper flavors. Other than having a slightly soapy quality, the nose is rather pleasant. It’s more like a diluted modern gin than a vodka. The lemon lime, mint, and cocoa notes play nicely together. The palate arrival is largely sweet, with some floral and citrus flavors carrying through the development. The mouthfeel is rather thin and the finish is very fast, especially for how full the flavors are. Overall this is alright. It doesn’t really drink like a traditional vodka. I’m guessing this is wheat-based due to the soft graininess, but I can’t find an official source that identifies it. I’ll categorize this in the same way as Ciroc, although it’s not a good. It’s an average sipper, but probably not neutral enough to become a house vodka. I think it’s a step below Jim Beam Original, but I wouldn’t be completely disappointed to drink this neat again.

Nose - bright grain, mineral water, lemon zest, black pepper, dry herbal and floral notes, vanilla, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - bright grain, green wood, fresh grass, lemon and grapefruit zest, ginger, mineral water, black pepper, coriander, bitter herbal and floral notes, vanilla, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with bright grain, citrus zest, black pepper, and grass flavors. The nose is very grainy, almost chalky. The combination of strong grain and minerality gives it an effervescent quality. Other than that, it’s rather standard with herbal, pepper, and citrus notes. The palate hits strong with more bright graininess. A noteworthy feature is this grassy or fresh woody quality that balances the other flavors nicely. Finally, the consistency is pleasantly oily and thick. Overall, this is solid vodka. It’s neutral, but robust and rather complex. I think it’s about on par with Ketel One. The flavors aren’t quite as strong, but the mouthfeel is better. It’s also $7 cheaper a bottle, so there’s more value here. I’ll be rating this near the top of the pack. And it’s about equal to Jim Beam Original in my mind.

Nose - dry grain, bitter herbal and citrus notes, earthy mint, bland sweetness, black pepper, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet and sour grain, bitter lemon, mint, coriander, dry herbal notes, black pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with sour citrus, dry grain, mint, and pepper flavors. This is the third Texas corn-based vodka I’ve tried, so it’s natural to compare it against Tito’s and Tower. On those nose, it’s rather similar but there’s an earthy minty quality that isn’t apparent on the others. Of the three, I like Deep Eddy the best because of the mint, but it’s not significantly better. The palate hits with a combination of sweet and sour grain that quickly develops with some mint and coriander spice. Thankfully, the paper notes I perceived on Tito’s and Tower are nowhere to be found. Finally, pepper and citrus round out the experience. Overall, I think this is slightly better than Tito’s and Tower, but not by much. And certainly not enough to notch it up a rating. It’s also the cheapest of the three, at $1 less than Tower. If forced to choose, I would select Deep Eddy over the others but I’m not forced to choose, so I’ll likely never buy a bottle of it. And as expected, I’ll be taking Jim Beam Original neat over this any day.

Nose - earthy, fungal sweetness, white pepper, savory vegetal notes, clay, squash, oily cooked onion and green pepper, vanilla, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - vanilla, sweet and salty earthy, fungal notes, white and chili pepper, cooked vegetable, ginger, powdered sugar, lemon pith, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with savory, oily cooked vegetable, sweet vanilla, and salty pepper flavors. This vodka is made from sweet potatoes grown on the Nauti distillery farm in Cape May, New Jersey. It’s definitely the most full-flavored vodka I’ve tasted and probably will taste in the future. In fact, if someone told me this was some weird, diluted tequila, I would probably believe it. The nose is extremely vegetal and savory, like the stale aroma you’d find wafting off a dirty pan that was used to cook vegetables the night before. It’s not as bad as it sounds, though. The palate is similar, but with more vanilla sweetness presenting. There’s also a citrus quality that I didn’t find on the nose. But the combination of sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, and savory is rather nice. Overall, this is a really solid sipping vodka, assuming it’s a profile you enjoy. I suspect that tequila enthusiasts (and I consider myself one) might fall into that category. The caveat with this vodka, and it’s a big one, is that it’s so far from neutral that it doesn’t mix well in the standard vodka cocktails I’ve tried. I’m sure there are certain mixtures that would be delicious, but I can’t recommend this as a house vodka. Nonetheless, I’m rating these neat, and this one deserves a high score. Given that I happen to enjoy the profile, I’d rather drink this than Jim Beam Original most of the time.