Nauti Vodka

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.