According to Skyy Vodka, the Skyy 90 is the world’s first 100% distillate vodka, it’s also bottles at 90 proof as opposed to regular Skyy Vodka which is 80 proof. Skyy vodka designed this vodka to “deliver exceptional purity.” It might distilled and pure, but it’s just not that good. Charcoal filtered and made with amber winter wheat, the Skyy 90 is designed to deliver the a “more luxurious martini.” The world’s most advanced distillery is still missing the mark on a martini vodka. We taste all of our martini’s with the in and out style so there is as little vermouth as possible and the Skyy Vodka martini just seems a bit average. A bit smooth and lacking bite with character, there seems to be a lack of flavor. Perhaps the vodka is overly distilled and the impurities in vodka are necessary to be there in minimal amounts. Either way, the $25 million research and development that went into this vodka was a complete waste. After all, even if it is good, or better than average, which it’s not, the money, research and perfect distillation are creating nothing exceptional in Skyy 90 vodka.
New Orleans, LA. – Platinum 7X has raised the bar on what it means to be an ultra-smooth vodka. Distilled seven times, Platinum 7X Vodka makes a bold impression, delivering purity, smoothness, and an attractive price point. The Sazerac team has crafted something truly exceptional, unveiling a stylish, contemporary new look for this fast-growing brand that clearly reflects the super-premium experience of the spirits inside.
The experts agree: The San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded Platinum 7X a Gold Medal in its vodka category and The Beverage Testing Institute rated it “Best Buy” and “Highly Recommended.” “The Platinum 7X brand hits on all cylinders – great taste, great packaging, and a great price – providing an overall experience that easily rivals that of more expensive brands,” states Tracey Clapp, brand manager for Platinum 7X Vodka. “As a proven seller, Platinum 7X demonstrates what discerning vodka consumers already know – that a great vodka doesn’t have to come at a super-premium or luxury price.”
The brand will be supported by trade advertising and at retail with branded shippers, case cards and sell sheets. On premise accounts can find a variety of recipes for Platinum 7X cocktails at
“With national sales growing by double digits, Platinum 7X has a sleek, stylish look and a clean, crisp taste that puts the brand in a great position for continued future growth,” adds Clapp. Proudly American-made from high-quality grain, Platinum 7X is a remarkable vodka that delivers a memorable drinking experience every time.
Platinum 7X Vodka is 80 proof and is available in the following sizes: 1.75L, 1L, 750ML, 375ML, 200ML, 100ML and 50ML. Suggested retail pricing for 750ML is $12.99.
About Platinum 7X Vodka Platinum 7X Vodka is produced and bottled by Sazerac Company. Sazerac is one of New Orleans’ oldest family owned, privately held companies and has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Frankfort, Bardstown, Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson, California; Baltimore, Maryland and Montreal, Canada.
Dan Akroyd’s premium vodka out of Canada, Crystal Head Vodka, has a full on hype machine driving its pricey bottles right off the shelves. Winning a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and our very own double blind taste test against the likes of Belvedere, Grey Goose and Tito’s vodka, there is no doubt that Crystal Head Vodka has performed very well against the best vodka’s in the world, but is Crystal Head the best vodka in the world?
The theme of Crystal Head Vodka is based on the legend has it that 13 crystal heads have been found in regions around the world, from the American southwest to Tibet and they’re dated between 5,000 and 35,000 years old. These Crystal Heads were supposedly polished into shape from solid quartz chunks over a period of several hundred years. Whether the legend intrigues you or not, the clear glass skull vodka bottle is certainly eye catching and definitely the most unique vodka bottle on the shelf, if not the entire liquor store and this bottle fuels the hype and dynamic sales.
Made with glacier water from Newfoundland Canada, quadruple distilled and filtered through Herkimer diamonds, Crystal Head is a grain based vodka with zero additives. We’re not sure where the genius is in how they make the vodka, but it’s certainly in there. Most people are looking for a smooth vodka, and that’s perfectly fine. We on the other hand are looking for a complex vodka and a little bite. Crystal Head Vodka has all of those elements in one. We tasted Crystal Head Vodka straight out of the bottle and poured it in the glass, neat and at room temperature, and then we tried the Crystal Head with and In and Out Martini with as little vermouth as possible so we could taste the vodka.
Tasting Notes of the Crystal Head Vodka :
This is an excellent vodka with a complex and smooth style. With hints of vanilla, citrus and grain this perfect vodka has just enough bite to let you know it’s there and it works perfectly with the vermouth in martini.
Is Crystal Head the world’s best vodka? It is very difficult to say that any vodka or anything for that matter is best in the world, but without question, Crystal Head must certainly be considered one of the best vodka’s in the world period. Winning the double gold medal at the world most prestigious spirit competition and crushing the competition in our own double blind taste test, Crystal Head certainly performs exceptionally well time after time. With the Crystal Head comes a steep price tag at about $50, which is expensive for a vodka considering you can get a solid vodka for around $15. For example, Tanqueray Sterling vodka finished #2 in our vodka trials and the retail price is $14. Now, Crystal Head is certainly better than Tanqueray Sterling, but is it more than 3 times better as the price indicates? That is uncertain. All in all, looking past the hype, gimmick and excellent marketing, Crystal Head Vodka comes with our highest recommendation.
The Siku Glacier Ice Vodka is made from pure glacier ice from the 60,000 year old Qalerallit Sermia Glacier in Greenland. The ice from the glacier never even becomes water but actually is made straight into the vodka, a characteristic completely unique to Siku. Five times distilled and imported from the Netherlands, Siku is a small batch grain vodka. Meaning ice in Greenlandic, the Siku vodka makes a solid martini for experienced vodka drinkers. With a grainy and complex taste, Siku is a very flavorful vodka. Full bodied, full flavored, sharp and crisp but smoother as you sip, the Siku works very well with the vermouth and olives, complimenting each other. At times, the Siku vodka can be a bit too sharp for the amateur drinker, but it’s a solid vodka for the experienced and those looking for real vodka flavor. As always, we taste the vodka with an in and out style of martini, using the least amount of vermouth as possible.
Triple Distilled in Small Batches: L’Chaim to Life!
By Matt Goldstein & Amy K. Haight
When a friend of ours invited us over for a New Years Day feast of the traditional Dutch Pork and Sauerkraut, we thought it would be funny to bring over a kosher vodka from Israel to pair it with and it was a hit. The L’Chaim Kosher Vodka from Israel is a process and recipe is based on a formula handed down through several generations of European and Russian Jews. L’chaim sources its own spring water shunning any filtering and de-mineralization treatments. Many vodka’s go out of their way to brag about their pure water and filtration processes and proclaim how much better it makes the vodka, however, we are not so sure. L’Chaim Vodka is triple distilled in Or Akiva on Israel’s coastal plain. A small batch vodka, L’Chaim is a solid buy for about $22 if you can find it on sale.
L’Chaim Vodka Tasting Notes:
Smooth, spicy and flavorful with a good enough bite and a little complexity. We tried L’Chaim Vodka straight, on the rocks and in an orange martini style cocktail and enjoyed all three. Basically, we just squeezed a couple of very small oranges into the vodka put what was left of the oranges in the very. Very simple to make and very good, not too much sugar or syrups or anything else needed. This is a solid vodka.
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From L’Chaim Vodka:
L’CHAIM is a message of unity and inclusiveness, The theme TO LIFE is a compelling concept. L’Chaim brings together all people from everywhere regardless of social, political, cultural, economic or religious backgrounds. Enjoy L’CHAIM branded products and celebrate life. L’CHAIM!
These aren’t the most expensive vodkas but its all relative, no? The New Amsterdam Vodka for about $14 is just way below average, even for the low price. There are much better vodka’s in this price range such as Tangueray Sterling Vodka, 42 Below Vodka, Koenig Idaho Potato Vodka, Pinnacle Vodka, Rokk Vodka, and Svedka Vodka to name a few. New Amsterdam is harsh, flavorless and just plain bad. Not every vodka has to be smooth but New Amsterdam Vodka just doesn’t make the cut. Distilled five times, New Amsterdam Vodka is “so smooth you can drink it straight” according to the company. We drank New Amsterdam straight just like we do all our vodkas, but we wouldn’t even waste our money on this vodka for a mixer. There are better vodkas for this price. New Amsterdam Vodka is a mixer only vodka.
The new flavored vodka craze is taking over the shelves in your local liquor store in case you haven’t noticed. About 10 different vodkas have about 10 different flavors available from Whipped Cream to Birthday cake to grape, lemon, raspberry and a million different kind of flavor combinations that can be imagined. It’s a bit annoying because we’d prefer straight vodka or a straight martini but hey, the people want what they want. And greedy evil liquor corporations have an obligation to make money of the peoples flavored vodka needs. We recently tried the Whipped Cream Flavored vodka from Smirnoff and it wasn’t too bad, but it just didn’t taste like whipped cream. The Smirnoff Whipped Cream tasted more like vanilla actually. We made some great cocktails though, such as the Orange Creamsicle, just mix 1 part vodka with 3.5 parts orange soda. Also, we made a vanilla cola cocktail and the mix is the same, 1 part vodka and 3.5 parts cola. Smirnoff Whipped Cream isn’t bad, just don’t expect a whipped cream flavor.
The newest vodka out of Sweden, Rokk Vodka, won a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition and costs about $13 per bottle. Rokk vodka is made with glacial water from Sweden and with a unique “freeze filtered” process. Through freeze filtration the Rokk Vodka is filtered through frozen charcoal which Rokk claims removes more impurities than the average filtration process. According to Rokk, “freeze filtration” raises PH Levels, reduces acidity, which makes the vodka smoother. Forget all that. We don’t even like vodka’s that are too smooth. Rokk vodka though, has a great flavor, especially for the price. Smooth but also crisp, this vodka is solid all around and worthy for sipping straight in a martini. Why spend ridiculous amounts of money on premium vodka’s when Rokk vodka’s and others like Svedka, Tanqueray and Pinnacle are just as good for under $15. It’s a no brainer. We absolutely recommend Rokk vodka. Go Vikings!
THE RÖKK RUNESTONE (Swedish: Rökstenen) is the most famous runestone in Sweden, featuring the longest known runic inscription. It is considered the first piece of written Swedish Literature and therefore marks the beginning of recorded history in Sweden.
PURE SWEDISH SPRING WATER RÖKK is made with clean water from glacial sources in Kalby, Sweden – the picturesque countryside five hours west of Stockholm. The spring is adjacent to the distillery and is renowned for its ultra-crisp, clean water.
Normally at the Whiskey Goldmine we try not to come off overly critical because we don’t want to be complete dicks, but that stops here. KRU 82 Vodka from Holland is simply one of the worst vodkas we have ever had, and we have had them all. Other than KRU being distilled from grain, we don’t know much about it because the bottle and website lack any real content or description of the product. One good thing about KRU is its metal bottle, which can be recycled or used as a water bottle. But this metal bottle might also be the downfall of KRU 82. The metal bottle could be affecting the shelf life and taste which is absolutely terrible. It’s simply one of the worst vodkas we’ve ever had and insanely harsh going down. Normally, we love a vodka with good bite, as smooth isn’t necessarily the best when it comes to vodka. However, with KRU, the insane amount of bite is harsh, unbearable and undrinkable. This is no martini vodka and we do not recommend drinking this straight or even buying it in fact. There are so many other good vodkas in the $15 price range, don’t waste your time with KRU 82 vodka. As always, when tasting vodka we use the In and Out martini method with the least amount of vermouth.
Editor’s Note: My father drank a vodka martini with KRU 82 Vodka and about 1/2 ounce vermouth and said the vodka wasn’t bad. To be fair, we will try this vodka again. (We tried this vodka again on Thanksgiving and it just wasn’t good. This vodka is terrible. KRU 82 is way too harsh and should be used for a mixer only, or to clean a wound.)
A Natural and Authentic Antique Polish Vodka Recipe
By Matt Goldstein and BJ Smith
Vodka has been made in Poland for more than 600 years and Belvedere Intense Unfiltered is an attempt to create the natural antique Polish vodka flavor. Combining local source 100% “single estate” Dankowskie diamond rye baker’s grain with pristine artisan water from Belvedere wells, the Intense Unfiltered 80 Vodka is distilled four times. Although we were expecting this vodka to be strong and have a big kick, it was actually smooth and flavorful. As always, we taste vodka with the in an out martini style with 2 olives.
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Belvedere Intense Unfiltered 80 Tasting Notes:
Having a heavy rye and grain flavor, smooth a light kick, the Belvedere Unfiltered Intense 80 compliments the olives and vermouth well. Lightly oily, good and flavorful this vodka is smooth more than intense. While we were hoping for more of a kick and bite from an intense vodka, this is still a beautiful beverage. If you’re looking for something smooth but still flavorful, this could be the vodka for you.
In 1894, after centuries of unregulated production, Dmitri Mendeleev, Professor of Chemistry at St. Petersburg University and creator of the Periodic Table of Elements, established the absolute standard for vodka distillation. Mendeleev’s perfect balance of 40% alcohol by volume gave Russian vodka a precise formula for what had been, until then, a process closer to alchemy than chemistry.
The rise of vodka’s global prominence is inextricably wed to Russian history, innovation and culture.
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10th-century
St. Vladimir, Grand Duke of Kiev, is quoted as saying, “Drinking is Russia’s delight.”
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1174
The Vyatka Chronicle reports the existence of “a vodka distillery” at Khylnovsk, over 500 miles to the east of Moscow.
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1448
Russian distillers discover that the grain used for bread can also be used to produce spirit. The new use of grain produces a unique “bread wine” destined to become Russia’s national product.
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1470s
Production of alcoholic drinks reaches their highest levels ever. The treasury’s interest in this new revenue potential prompts Tsar Ivan III to introduce the first-ever monopoly on the production and sale of grain-based wines, including vodka.
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1505
According to chronicles of the day, vodka is first exported to Sweden, the lands of the Livonian Order and the future state of Estonia.
It was in the 14th century that vodka was first described as “Russia’s national drink”.
Some 500 years later, in 1894, after centuries of unregulated production, Dmitri Mendeleev, Professor of Chemistry at St. Petersburg University and creator of the Periodic Table of Elements, established the absolute standard for vodka distillation. Mendeleev’s perfect balance of 40% alcohol by volume gave Russian vodka a precise formula for what had been, until then, a process closer to alchemy than chemistry.
100% Distilled
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