Tito's Vodka

A bit of sweetness on the palate followed by drying stickiness. Very astringent. Great in vodka cocktails b/c flavor is quite neutral.

Nose - dry floral and herbal notes, popcorn kernel, bland sweetness, stale black pepper, mild ethanol burn. Taste - paper, sour herbal tea, stale ginger and black pepper, lemon and grapefruit zest, bland sweetness, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short and a bit oily with paper, dry herbal notes, and citrus zest flavors. Similar to my gin tasting series, I’m kicking this one off with my current choice of house vodka, Tito’s. Until now, I’ve put very little thought into which vodka to use for mixed drinks, but stock Tito’s because it’s the one my wife likes. Granted, she too hasn’t explored many other options, but somehow Tito’s has become our default. As an output to this series, I’d like to either reinforce that Tito’s is the correct choice for us or possibly stumble upon an amazing diamond in the rough that completely upends my very low opinion of the category at-large. Sarcasm fully intended there. So right away it’s a massive challenge to identify any solid notes on the nose and palate, so they’ll be exceedingly dubious from here on out. On the nose, it’s definitely dry and herbal, with some semblance of peppery spice and this bland sweetness I oftentimes find in cheap Canadian whiskies. In fact, I imagine it’s a bit like an unaged Black Velvet would smell. The palate is similar, however this very clear taste of paper appears during the arrival and into the development, like quickly jamming a secret note in your mouth before the teacher makes it over to your desk to confiscate it. Toward the end of the development and into the finish, something I interpret as citrus zest, ginger, and black pepper arise, but they’re all subdued and very faint, like mixing one part gin with five parts water. Overall, there’s not much to like here. But on the other hand, there’s really not much to hate. Other than some very subtle herbal, pepper, and citrus notes, it’s pretty neutral. There’s not much in the way of undue harshness on the nose or palate, and it goes down without much fuss. I’m struggling to put a rating on this. It’s definitely more enjoyable than some of the trash I’ve reviewed, but I’ve rated spirits like Jim Beam Original and Mellow Corn a 2.0, and I’d rather drink those than Tito’s. As I try more vodkas over the course of the month, I’ll revisit scores, but given that I actually don’t hate Tito’s and still rate it so low doesn’t bode well for the rest of them. Follow along with me on this journey of discovery. We’ll gaze into the abyss, and hope it doesn’t gaze back into us.

Good in a vodka tonic!