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Dining In WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2005

SPIRITS OF THE TIMES

A Humble SIPS DON’T LIE

In a blind tasting

Old Label of 21 vodkas,

Smirnoff was
favored over
newer brands.
Ices
Its Rivals
In vodkas, higher-priced
and better-dressed isn’t always
better, a panel discovers.

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

 By ERIC ASIMOV

I
T was not exactly a victory for the un-
derdog, but chalk it up as a triumph of
the unexpected.
The idea for the Dining section’s tasting
panel was to sample a range of the new high-
end unflavored vodkas that have come on the
market in the last few years in their beauti-
fully designed bottles and to compare them
with a selection of established super-premi-
um brands. To broaden the comparison, or
possibly as a bit of mischief, our tasting coor-
dinator, Bernard Kirsch, added to our blind
tasting a bottle of Smirnoff, the single best-
selling unflavored vodka in the United
States, but a definite step down in status,
marketing and bottle design.
After the 21 vodkas were sipped and the re-
sults compiled, the Smirnoff was our hands-
down favorite.
Shocking? Perhaps. Delving into the world
of vodka reveals a spirit unlike almost any
other, with standards that make judging it
substantially different from evaluating wine,
beer, whiskey or even root beer. A malt
whiskey should be distinctive, singular. The
same goes for a Burgundy or a Belgian ale.
But vodka? Vodka is measured by its purity,
by an almost Platonic neutrality that makes
tasting it more akin to tasting bottled waters,
or snowflakes.
Yet in just a few decades vodka has be-
come the most popular spirit in the country.
It is now the default liquor in cocktails once
made with gin, and with its glossy merchan-
dising it has set a marketing standard for
high-end spirits that the other liquors are all
struggling to emulate. It’s quite an achieve-
ment for something that the government de-
fines as “neutral spirits, so distilled, or so
treated after distillation with charcoal or
other materials, as to be without distinctive
character, aroma, taste or color.”
A lack of distinctiveness is a separate mat-
ter from a lack of distinction. The vodkas we
tasted had character and their own flavors
and aromas, even though the differences
among them were often subtle and difficult
to articulate.
“I’m looking for interest,” said Eben
Klemm, a cocktail expert who joined me for
the tasting, along with my colleagues Flo- Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
rence Fabricant and William L. Hamilton,
who writes the Shaken and Stirred column PRETTY BOTTLES, BUT ... Differences among the vodkas that were tasted were
for the Sunday Styles section. “Some were so subtle, but each nevertheless had a distinctive flavor and aroma.
unique that they stood out,” he added, “while
others were pure, simple and austere.” flow,” she suggested, adding that the quali- That being said, at the end of our tasting it
Mr. Klemm, whose heady title is director ties she sought in the vodkas included ele- was Smirnoff at the top of our list, ahead of
of cocktail development for B. R. Guest, a gance, neutrality and balance. “As a vodka many other names that are no doubt of high-
restaurant group that includes Dos Caminos, drinker who likes vodka on the rocks, I er status in stylish bars and lounges. Some of
Fiamma and Vento in New York, found him- picked out what I would want to drink,” she those names did not even make our Top 10.
self torn in two directions in assessing the said. Grey Goose from France, one of the most
vodkas. Because we tasted them straight, he I’m not much of a vodka drinker myself, popular vodkas, was felt to lack balance and
judged them as solo beverages yet could not although I do like a good bloody mary. I pre- seemed to have more than a touch of sweet-
help extrapolating how they would taste in fer gin in classic gin drinks like martinis and ness. Ketel One from the Netherlands, anoth-
cocktails, which are overwhelmingly the ve- gimlets that have largely evolved into vodka er top name, was felt to be routine and sharp,
hicle for consuming vodka. cocktails. But I appreciate the purity and although Mr. Klemm did describe it as “a
Mr. Hamilton, too, wondered whether his depth of a fine vodka. Those I liked best were good mixer.”
perceptions might change. “When deployed all smooth rather than harsh, and balanced More than 300 vodkas are on the market
in mixed drinks, these slight flavor profiles and harmonious rather than burdened by al- now, and of course we could not taste them
that I enjoyed might cause trouble,” he said. coholic heat. They had a presence in the all. Notable brands that we omitted included
Ms. Fabricant, on the other hand, dis- mouth that we sometimes referred to as tex- Chopin, Finlandia, Rain and Tanqueray Ster-
missed such existential issues. “Go with the ture or substance. ling. But our tasting included 5 of the 10 best-
selling unflavored vodkas in the United
States and the 5 best-selling imported vod-
kas.
What set Smirnoff apart, we agreed, was
its aromas and flavors, which we described
as classic. Smirnoff of course has a long his-
tory. The company was founded in Russia in
the 19th century, and after the Russian Revo-
lution the family, then spelling its name
Smirnov, left the country and eventually end-
ed up in France. The brand, now owned by
Diageo, was introduced in the United States
in 1934 and eventually became the best-sell-
ing brand with the slogan “It will leave you
breathless.”
Perhaps our description of Smirnoff as
classic was nostalgic, possibly a result of the
imprinting of its flavors and aromas on our
brains in some early quest through our par-
ents’ liquor cabinets. But its smooth neutral-
ity and pleasing texture also won it points,
and its success illustrates a vital truth about
vodka.
Unlike most other spirits and certainly un-
like beer and wine, vodka does not necessari-
ly benefit from artisanal manufacturing. The
bearded bumpkin who minds the barrels in
the ad campaigns for bourbon has no place in
the production of vodka. In fact most so-
called vodka producers do not even distill
their own spirits.
In the United States almost all vodka pro-
ducers buy neutral spirits that have already
been distilled from grain by one of several
big Midwestern companies like Archer
Daniels Midland. The neutral spirits, which
are 95 percent alcohol or more, are trucked
to the producers, where they are filtered, di-
luted and bottled. In our tasting only one
brand, Teton Glacier Potato vodka, was dis-
tilled by the producer. Another producer,
Hangar 1, distills a portion of its spirits and
buys the rest.
What sets vodkas apart from one another
are essentially the base ingredients used in
the distillation and the water. Most spirits
can be made only from certain prescribed in-
gredients, but vodka can be distilled from
just about anything that can be fermented
into alcohol: grains, vegetables, even fruits.
Our tasting included vodkas made from
wheat, rye and potatoes, even a couple that
The plain and the
fancy among so-called
neutral spirits.
used grapes. Hangar 1 is distilled partly
from wheat and partly from viognier grapes,
which perhaps lend the slight sweetness the
panel detected. Possibly the combination re-
sults in a complexity, which we all liked. An-
other vodka, Cîroc Snap Frost from France,
is distilled entirely from grapes, but we
sensed a disjointedness in it that kept it off
our list.
Like gin, vodka can be produced just about
anywhere, and our tasting included four
from the United States; four from Poland;
three each from Russia, France and the
Netherlands; and one apiece from Switzer-
land, Estonia, New Zealand and Sweden.
Russia and Poland both claim to be the origi-
nators of vodka. None of the Russians made
our list, but two of our Top 3 were from
Poland. The Wyborowa, which comes in a
striking bottle designed by the architect
Frank Gehry, was elegant and mysterious
and seemed to keep drawing us in. The
Belvedere was exceptionally pure and
smooth.
All four entries from the United States
made the list. In addition to Smirnoff and
Hangar 1 they were Skyy, which Ms. Fabri-
cant suggested would be superb ice cold, and
Teton Glacier Potato vodka, which seemed
to conform to the government definition of
tasteless and odorless.
While we chose to focus on unflavored vod-
kas those blended in the factory with flavor-
ings like lemon, black pepper and even
chocolate may be the fastest-growing cate-
gory of all. Given the government definition
of vodka, the success of such flavored vodkas
may raise the philosophical question one day
of exactly what constitutes a vodka.
The prices of these vodkas ranged from a
low of $13 for the Smirnoff to a high of $34 for
Potocki, a Polish vodka that did not make our
cut. The Belvedere also cost $34, but that was
for a liter rather than the usual 750 milliliter
bottle. Imported vodkas tend to cost more,
partly because of taxes levied by various
governments, currency exchange rates and,
not least, marketing concerns: as has been
proved in many industries, wine not least of
all, raising the price of a product increases
its status among consumers.
Possibly with that in mind Stolichnaya has
just introduced a new vodka, Elit, for $60 a
bottle. Because Elit was not available in New
York at our tasting, the panel did not sample
it. Its marketers say it is “carefully crafted
using a centuries-old Russian recipe and a
revolutionary ‘freeze filtration process.’ ”
The bottle is certainly sleek. What’s inside
may be another matter.

Tasting Report: In the Best-Selling Category, a Best Seller Stands Out

Olifant Netherlands Grain $17 HH
BEST VALUE 80 proof 1 liter
Smirnoff United States Grain Subtle, yet rich and complex.
80 proof
Pure, clean and ultrasmooth, with pleasing texture and classic 42 Below New Zealand Wheat $24 HH
vodka aroma. 84 proof
Straightforward, pure and smooth.
Wyborowa Poland Single Estate Rye $30 HHH
80 proof 1 liter Skyy United States Grain $16 HH
Elegant and intriguing, with mild flavors and great persistence. 80 proof 1 liter
Unusual flavors of mint and lime.
Belvedere Poland Rye $34 HHH
80 proof 1 liter Teton Glacier United States Potato $20 HH
Great smoothness and purity, with good texture and body. 80 proof 1 liter
Clean and light on the palate; odorless and tasteless.
Absolut Sweden Level Grain $24 HH 1/2
80 proof WHAT THE STARS MEAN:
(None) Pass It By HHH Excellent
H HHHH
Smooth and substantial, with flavors of flowers, lemon grass or nuts. Passable Extraordinary
HH
HH 1/2
Good
Hangar 1 United States $30 Ratings reflect the panel’s reactions to the vodkas, which were tasted with names concealed. The pan-
Straight Wheat and Grain 80 proof elists this week are Eric Asimov, Florence Fabricant, William L. Hamilton and Eben Klemm, director of
cocktail development for the B.R. Guest restaurants. The tasted vodkas represent a selection generally
Pleasing, with complex flavors and a suggestion of sweetness. available in good retail shops and restaurants. Prices are those paid in liquor shops in the New York
region.
Vox Netherlands Wheat 80 proof $23 HH 1/2
Tasting Coordinator: Bernard Kirsch
Smooth and neutral, with savory flavors and a touch of alcoholic heat.
nytimes.com
Recent wine columns from the New York Times are online: nytimes.com/wine.
This week, members of the panel discuss their favorite vodkas.

Copyright © 2005, by The New York Times Company. Reprinted with permission.
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