ctbeck11
Tito's Vodka
Unflavored Vodka — Texas, USA
Reviewed
February 1, 2021 (edited February 7, 2021)
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.
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The only reason for anyone to buy Tito's at its current price is brand loyalty, to Texas/USA or otherwise, but it's kind of a scam to market mineral water like this IMO. You can donate to those local charities directly without missing out on a tax deduction. Just saying.
@CKarmios Tito’s is a hometown household name here in Austin. They also give a ton of money to local charities, so at least vodka is good for something. What boggles my mind is how so many different vodkas are able to compete in the market. I go to the store and the vodka aisle is as long as the whiskey aisle!
@WhiskeyLonghorn That’s a great idea, and exposes a weakness of my methodology. I’m doing all tastings for this series neat, even though my primary use for vodka is as cocktail fodder. It’s reasonable to think that my favorite neat vodka may not be my favorite mixed vodka. For example, I have a sweet potato vodka with a very sweet character that’s decent to sip, but it makes horrific martinis. I will continue with my chosen methodology, but there will be an asterisk on the results for this reason.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Trust the Texan!
I’m not much for drinking vodka neat. I did attend a batches or party once where we went to this crazy Russian restaurant and drank more “premium” vodka. They also brought us a shot of vodka with every course of the meal. We were thoroughly toasted... Anyways, I wouldn’t drink this neat, but it makes a good mule, and where I find it shines is its infusion potential. I like to stick a jalapeño and a habanero in the bottle for 24 hours to steep, then you’ve got a delicious chili vodka that’s a great base for spicy mules and bloody Mary’s, plus an intriguing alternative for tequila in a margarita or Paloma.
@Cornmuse I don’t have Sobieski, but I see it’s available in my market. If I make it over to the liquor store before the series ends, I’ll pick it up. @Benji-Robert I’ve got a bottle of Reyka, so that will definitely be in the series. And it’s funny you mention a sweet potato vodka. I don’t have Covengton, but do own a bottle of Nauti vodka, which is made from sweet potatoes grown on their farm in Cape May, NJ.
I havent had Titos in maybe 5 or 6 years, hearing someone say "I'd rather drink mellow corn" almost made me spit out my breakfast tea laughing. for the price point I suggest Reyka (the volcano rock filtration makes it gloriously smooth) or Covengton (the sweet potatoes make the vodka nicely sweet without any fake added sugary nonsense)
Like you, Tito's has been my house default because most guests like it and I don't care too much about vodka. After tasting Sobieski I made a change. I'd love to see that vodka in your series.
"Overall, there’s not much to like here." it's vodka so totally normal, or they're doin it right.
yuck