Veil Vodka

A crisp, grain vodka from the USA; distilled 5 times & charcoal filtered, for a clean smooth finish. December 2015 / July 2017 / March 2018

Not much going on the nose. There's a mixture of ethanol with minerals that's not inviting but not unpleasant either. Lingering in the background are faint hints of corn. Veil Vodka doesn't specify what it's made from, simply stating "American Grain" which seems like an euphemism for corn. Taste wise it doesn't taste particularly boozy. It is very unnaturally sweet at the mid palate which makes me suspect some sugar was added. Just as well as the end is fairly bitter. It's not an undrinkable or unpleasant bitterness albeit it is a benchmark of the quality of the vodka. For the price point this isn't bad. Makes for decent shots and the bitterness will be masked by any mixer. It's just nothing exciting.

The nose is non-existent, unlike that of Chopin Wheat. The palate is super light with a bit of sugar water sweetness like a cheap whiskey that was not aged long enough, though not necessarily in a bad way. There's a bit of bitter alcohol too that has an isopropyl taste, but it isn't too bad. There isn't much burn on it either. It lacks the rich flavor of the countryside with its grain and bit of chocolate that Chopin Wheat brings, though it also has less alcohol flavor. It also lacks that nice citrus zip that keeps Chopin refreshing. Chopin is much more luscious and more intense. Chopin tastes kind of like the scotch to Veil's Irish whiskey. Veil isn't very interesting and its finish has some unappealing character that is hard to place, but it's still a surprisingly solid drink. It would be great for mixing and it could also be sipped. The more I drink the two, the more I appreciate the Chopin over this. It isn't really special, but it's not bad. There might be a hint of corn flavor to it. This has a few interesting notes up front, but it ends with a fair amount of alcohol. Definitely not as good as Chopin Wheat or Belvedere. Upon closer tasting, that alcohol flavor is present throughout. This isn't hard to drink, but I wouldn't choose it for sipping neat. It's passable though. I might drop it from 11 to 10 or I might leave it there. Maybe a bit of that alcohol is actually grain like in an Irish whiskey, but it isn't actually enjoyable. Chopin Wheat has a much cleaner flavor with a lot more nice sweetness to it. Chopin is quite neutral in comparison. This is a decently smooth and neutral vodka. There's a hint of sweetness, but it also has a lot of alcohol flavor. It's less interesting than UV vodka, but the profile is less challenging and it's less harsh. It isn't even actually smooth. It's not bad, but not something to drink on its own. I'm going to drop it to a 10.