Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka

Vodka is already hard enough to review as it's meant to be a neutral, blank slate spirit. Smirnoff is even harder to review because not only is it so ubiquitous, but it leads the pack of cheap vodkas. Do you review it compared to its other cheap brethren or, given it's pervasiveness, against the backdrop of all vodkas? That's no easy question to answer let alone when you consider that Smirnoff is truly one of the most characterless vodkas on the market. Given vodka's lack of flavor texture sticks out. Smirnoff quite literally doesn't have any texture. You could almost be forgiven for mistaking it for water. There is a hint of sweetness towards the end betraying that it is made from corn. I actually didn't know what it was made from until I tasted it and the faintest trace of corn caught my attention. But really, this is remarkably neutral especially for the price point. I will note there is some bitterness at the end as well with a medium lingering burn, the only indicators this is alcohol and not just sweetened water. All in all Smirnoff isn't a bad vodka. It just can't really differentiate itself or bring anything to the table. That may not be a bad thing at all. After all, vodka is *meant* to be neutral. Put this thing in the freezer and you can take shots to your heart's content. At this point whether you spend more money just depends on how much you want to lessen the burn when it goes down.

Nose - dry grain, light vanilla, subtle herbal and pepper notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sweet grain, vanilla, grapefruit zest, dry ginger or black pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing fast and clean with dry vanilla, sweet grain, and pepper flavors. Wow, this seems even more neutral than the Skyy I tasted yesterday. They’re generally very similar, but the Smirnoff gives off less fumes and seems to have even less character. It’s not bad per se, but rather just extremely bland. Hey it’s $20 for a handle, so at least the price is right. I like this more than Tito’s and a bit less than Skyy. And I’d still rather drink Jim Beam Original.