Tito's Vodka

When someone leaves behind a bottle of the best damn American vodka in your house, you remember you've never rated it, despite having it fill most days, afternoons, evenings, and nights of your early military career. If that situation applies to you, then I'll walk you through the rating process. Despite all standard grain vodkas tasting very similar, Tito's somehow rises above all others, which, with my knowledge of grain alcohol having soared over the years, starts to make more sense since it's nothing but delicious corn. Whereas corn distillate tastes very sweet and has a great body by itself, it needs way too long in a barrel to transform to a remotely enjoyable, aged flavor. So, instead of letting the water rise on a continuous drowning culture of young American whiskey, I'd like to reward a distillery who takes this crop and turns it into something simple in just a matter of a few days. For someone like me, who has been around a lot of whiskey new make, the scent is so familiar that it's hard to break it down to describe. Raw corn is definitely there, and there's a decent amount of ethanol for only 80 proof. Just barely in the distance, there's a slight citrus note, usually typical of a fresh neutral spirit, but is otherwise very uncomplicated. A fairly medium body that's slightly on the light side, but the flavor is anything but light. Very sweet up front, almost like a very light caramel, which dissolves into raw sugar with a mix of a vegetal and citrus finish. Definitely far more sweeter during the first few sips and hotter towards the end of the glass. For someone who only has one bottle of vodka in their home amongst the hundreds of other spirits, this is definitely the choice to have; an American spirit that actually has some character behind it, which isn't easy to develop in the vodka world. Classic, yet full of flavor, and a shining star if you're the type of person who absolutely must partake in the dullest category of spirit.

@ NYC in 2019

Good, inexpensive vodka.