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Doug Freyburger

wrote:
>
> Any vodka drinkers here? Vodka is the only alcohol I've drank all my life. I
> used to drink gin until I suddenly developed an apparent allergy to the berry
> they use to make it. In my younger days, I drank Popov or Majorska because it
> was cheap. Now I buy Schmirnoff (Sp?) My question is this: How much better are
> brands like Absolut or Grey Goose or the many others which cost more? What do I
> gain by spending more on a bottle? I don't drink it neat or in martini's just in
> a few mixed driks.

When I lived in the college dorms we tried a blind vodka tasting. How
do you think your tastes rank compared to college students who did drink
more variety than just vodka? I think the results will work just fine
for you as well.

We got 3 top shelf brands. Absolute, Finlandia and real Stoli from the
Soviet Union. This was the late 1970s and the Wall was still up.

We got 3 discount brands. Kamchatka, Popov and one with a red band on
its label. Maybe it was a discount option from Smirnoff? I don't
remember the brand for sure. I don't even know if Smirnoff still has a
discount option.

We put the bottles in the freezer over night and served them in shot
glasses marked only by number or letter. No visible brands and no hints.

None of us could match any of the top shelf brands. None of us could
match any of the discount brands. Only about half of us could tell the
top shelf brands from the discount brands.

Based on this I concluded that extremely few people can tell the brand
once it has been mixed with anything flavored, but people who drink
shots may be able to tell quality for the first few shots. Since we go
through extremely little vodka and almost all of that to guests when I
buy any I get a bottle of whatever top shelf brand happens to be on
special and I keep it in the freezer. When I stocked a bottle for
myself I kept a discount brand.