CÎROC Black Raspberry

Moving forward with the 50ml clean-up, it makes sense to go from an unflavored vodka to a flavored one. This one frightens me somewhat, since I don't believe I've ever had base Ciroc to begin with, but I certainly didn't know it was distilled with grapes, so I can only guess how that will interact with the black raspberry flavor. I'm also assuming that classic Ciroc is 80 proof, and although it's expected for flavored liquors to be lower than 80 proof, 70 seems a little low if all that was added was natural and artificial flavor "magic." The nose combines the expected "vodka cleaning supplies" concept with raspberry jam but also the exact raspberry flavor that I've encountered in every brand of sparkling water that produces that flavor. Predictably, the ethanol burn and presence are incredibly low, instead making way for an overall heavy sweetness that I hope isn't also part of the taste. The initial flavor and body are very weak, and begin as basic sugar water. The black raspberry flavor is somewhere in here, but definitely doesn't manifest as black raspberries specifically, instead as a faint flavor of raspberry donut filling combining with the sweetness of a grappa, but minus the burn or the body. The finish sheds away the flavoring, and returns to a decent grain neutral vodka focus. There isn't too much for me to say here, nor should I, because flavored beverages just aren't my thing, let alone vodkas. To be objective, the raspberry flavor on this one is actually very prominent, and has a medium sweetness that isn't too sugary or thick. I'm not entirely sure what the difference between red and black raspberries are flavor-wise, especially if used in a spirit, but I wouldn't go into this with too much of a focus on the color of the fruit.

Very sweet, I drink neat or over ice

Nice shooter. But would also go nicely with Chambord.