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Smirnoff Pineapple
Distiller Score 81
The infusion leaves the spirit a rich, golden color with a bit of cloudiness. The aromatics are intense and show dense sweet and sour pineapple character. Although there are no added sweetness, the fruit leaves a fairly saccharine impression that could use a bit of acid as a foil. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy and finishes with hardly a hint of alcohol.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Crop Organic Meyer Lemon Vodka
Distiller Score 91
The aroma of this vodka is so sweet and acidic that you can almost feel the twinge of lemon on your tongue as you smell. But, true to the flavor of meyer lemons, on the palate, it's mildly sweet with just a touch of acidity and a lovely roundness. It sits nicely on the tongue for a few moments before dissipating. It also manages to avoid any overwhelming sense that you're drinking a cleaning product.
Reviewed by Anna Archibald
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Smirnoff Sourced Cranberry Apple
Distiller Score 82
This vodka pours a neon color reminiscent of a red Jolly Rancher candy. The aromatics are also reminiscent of something scored on Halloween with flavors of juicy cranberry and ripe, red apples. The palate shows more layers of fruit but a refreshing streak of acidity prevents it from wavering into cloying territory. As with the other spirits in the Sourced line, the fruit dominate any hint of vodka grain and should be used with sodas for a long drink.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Hanson of Sonoma Original Vodka
Distiller Score 86
The grape base of this vodka is immediately present on the nose which shows a heady mixture of stone fruits and warm soil. The palate echoes the vinus flavors with a touch of sweet concord, wild raspberry, and baked plum. There is an admirable richness and the finish is smooth with a touch of lingering fruit. Great with juice mixers.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Purity Spritz Mediterranean Citrus
Distiller Score 87
The color of the vodka is a medium orange-pink and it shows an intense citrus aroma from the moment you open the bottle. Digging deeper on the nose, you don't find much of a difference--the citrus notes dominate, particularly the orange peels. The taste is moderately sweet and full with a slight slickness, but as you'll be adding bubbles of some kind, this is to be expected. The palate shows gentle floral notes that were hard to find on the nose. The finish is more sweet than bitter and delivers what it already has shown--citrus and floral notes. If you'd like to make a cocktail rather than a Spritz, try this in a Cosmopolitan.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Smirnoff Raspberry
Distiller Score 82
The berry infusion of this vodka is immediately obvious from the boisterous nose of brambly fruit. The palate manages to deliver big — but somewhat artificial — flavors of sweet tart candies and raspberry sorbet without being overly cloying. The finish dissipates cleanly with a light bit of alcoholic spice.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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St. George All Purpose Vodka
Distiller Score 89
St. George All Purpose Vodka has a very attractive nose with faint tones of orchard fruit intermingling with more forceful flavors of toasted grains and earth. On tasting, the pear distillate becomes more recognizable and evokes applesauce and Bartlett pear. The finish is very smooth with very little impression of alcohol but it does show a bit of sweetness. Although labeled as all-purpose, the fruit tones are very pleasant, but may throw the taste of some classic cocktails out of balance.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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360 Bing Cherry
Distiller Score 70
This vodka shows intense aromas of cherry, but unfortunately the profile is more reminiscent of cherry cough drops than the wild fruit. The sweet and artificial flavors also dominate the palate which really is almost a liqueur in taste rather than a flavored vodka. A large helping of seltzer could help dilute the sugar, but beyond that too sweet for a base in cocktails.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Cardinal Spirits Vodka
Distiller Score 91
For a vodka this spirit carries a fairly pungent, albeit pleasant, nose with tones of beurre blanc, fresh apricot, and marzipan. The palate has impressive body and echoes the rich and sweet flavors found on the nose. The finish turns on the spice and shows a bit of earthiness which is a balancing foil to the vodka’s more indulgent flavors. Quite lovely on it’s own, but would add an indulgent weight to many cocktails.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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360 Huckleberry
Distiller Score 65
Most people are not likely to be intimately familiar with the flavor of huckleberry, but if one were to judge from the aromas of this vodka one would think it smells of sugary berry breakfast cereal and blue candy. The palate is extremely sweet and only feint flavors of some sort of mystery fruit are able to stumble through.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Pearl Pomegranate Vodka
Distiller Score 62
A big fruity nose of red fruit flavored soft candy is the immediate flavor that jumps from this aromatic vodka. The palate continues to echo a taste that one may expect in the confectionary aisle and not a bottle shop. The fruit comes to a sweet crescendo that leaves the tongue coated in sticky, saccharine flavors vaguely reminiscent of the namesake fruit.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Seagram's Juicy Watermelon
Distiller Score 55
If you've always wanted to infuse your vodka with Watermelon Jolly Ranchers, you're in luck! It's a sickly sweet mess with the added bonus of an unpleasant alcohol burn at the back end. Avoid!
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno