Spirits review: Wódka Vodka, "Hamptons quality, Newark pricing"

Wódka recently took home the much-coveted 2010 Gold Medal and Best Buy awards from the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago, receiving an "Exceptional" rating of 90 out of 100, thus making it the lowest priced vodka with an “A” rating. The BTI panel described Wódka as having “aromas of toasty pastry and custard" an "off-dry medium-to-full body" effect on the palate and a taste of “creamy powdered sugar, light pepper, and minerals."


As for my personal tasting notes, I'm no spirits connoisseur, but I'd have to say that it was enjoyable enough to sip on its own -- chilled, of course. It had a faint aroma of rubbing alcohol, but I was pleasantly surprised that the taste didn't match. It had a slight sweetness with herbal notes, a hint of rosemary and lavender on the tongue, low minerality and the rye was very present. The finish was warm but pleasant, nothing like the burning sensation of some of my past experiences with vodka.


Honestly, I would not have guessed that this was a $9 bottle of vodka. In my younger days I used to buy those cheap, bottom shelf brands that were around the same price and this tasted nothing like those (hence why I'm slowly getting back to drinking the stuff and have learned my lesson).


Wódka would go well as the star ingredient in a vodka martini, Bloody Mary or almost any mixed drink. It'd also be an economical choice for your next shindig or solo boozefest, as you won't have to break the bank to get your vodka fix.


For more information and drink recipes, visit: welovewodka.com


Image via Cocktail Enthusiast.

Wódka is one of the newest vodka brands on the spirits scene, but you're not going to find a super celebrity hawking it in ads or a hefty price tag on it for that matter. Their brand slogan, "Hamptons Quality, Newark Pricing," sums it up the product quite well as it retails at only $8.99 for a 750 ml bottle, but tastes just as good (or better) than other "luxury" brands on the market.

“We listened to our customers and they are no longer enamored by the fancy bottles, could care less about expensive spokespeople, like that rapper and the bazaar robot girl and really just want a good drink at an honest price. I’m not one for awards and medals outside of the Olympics but I reckon it’s a good thing to be recognized as the only vodka under $10 with all of these fancy monikers," stated James Dale, President of Panache Imports, the North American distributor of Wódka.

If you couldn't already tell by the name, Wódka hails from Poland, the Polmos Bialystock distillery to be more exact. It's an 80-proof, triple-distilled rye vodka with a very fitting "retro-chic, Eastern Bloc style" label.

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