taffyg2003's Most Recent Comments

1. At the Three Olives Review on Sep 09, 2010 at 9:36 pm...

   I purchased a 1 liter bottle recently to try this in a martini, since I could not find any bars that stock it. The martini it makes is good, but not special in any way. It pours very watery without the more syrupy viscosity that I've seen from many of the better vodkas I've tried. The initial flavor is mild with a slight peppery bitterness and only a little sweetness to complement. The martini is fairly smooth, though, and has only a relatively mild burn when swallowed. Overall, I would give it 3 stars and place it somewhere in the middle of all of the vodkas I've tried so far. There are better more expensive vodkas, but also better less expensive vodkas, so I find it an unlikely repeat candidate for my freezer.

2. At the ZYR Review on Jul 14, 2010 at 7:22 pm...

   4 "plus". Somehow, the plus key does not show up here. Sorry again folks.

3. At the ZYR Review on Jul 14, 2010 at 7:20 pm...

   Sorry. In my previous post, I was intending to indicate that I would give Ultimat a 4 star rating, which would place it atop the 4 star category in my tastings list.

4. At the ZYR Review on Jul 14, 2010 at 7:16 pm...

   Since I do not know where to post about non-reviewed vodkas, and since Robert mentioned the idea of enabling members to post about non-reviewed vodkas earlier in this thread, I am going to post about Double Cross and Ultimat here.
   
   First, Double Cross makes a very nice martini; sweet, fairly smooth, and with a relatively mild burn. I would give it 4 stars overall. Given that it costs around $50 per 750 ml. bottle, however, there are more affordable vodkas of equal or better quality.
   
   Second, I would like to comment about a recent Ultimat vodka martini. I was very impressed overall since the martini was somewhat sweet, very smooth, and had very little burn. I had seen a very large advertisement display at a local liquor store and assumed that this was likely another over-advertised and under-performing vodka, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I do not recall the price per 750 ml., but I would definitely choose this over a $35 bottle of Grey Goose at virtually any price. Compared to Double Cross, it is a little smoother but a little less tasty, and also earns a 4 star rating; actually a 4 star rating, placing it at the top of the 4 star competition so far.
   
   If another format for posting non-reviewed vodkas becomes available, I would be happy to repost these comments to the appropriate locations. Cheers.

5. At the Ketel One Review on Jul 07, 2010 at 7:48 pm...

   I had a great Ketel One martini over the holiday weekend. It was probably the best Ketel One martini I've had, and one of the best martinis I've had, too. Since it is a "common" vodka, it is easy to overlook just how nice Ketel One is; very smooth, crisp, and subtly sweet. Comparing it to a bartended Grey Goose martini ordered the night before, it was much smoother and had a better flavor. The experience reminded me that I should be content to order a Ketel One martini as my "go-to" vodka when more esoteric vodkas are not on the menu.

6. At the Crystal Head Review on Jul 07, 2010 at 7:19 pm...

   My wife bought me a bottle of Crystal Head for Father's Day, and I had a chance to make a martini at home with it a few nights ago. WOW!! It was even better than the Crystal Head martinis that I've had a few times at a couple of nearby restaurants! Wow! Even neat, it is incredibly smooth and surprisingly sweet and tasty. Wow! Did I say, "Wow!", yet. Side-by-side, it was almost as tasty as a neat shot of Americana, but significantly smoother. I really like Americana, but this stuff is in another league. I am considering re-rating it six out of a possible five stars. ;) Wow!

7. At the ZYR Review on Jun 06, 2010 at 7:44 pm...

   @Robert
   
   Thanks for your compliment. I have been enjoying posting my vodka experiences on this forum for the last several months. Though, I no longer consider myself a vodka novice, I was not long ago when I first joined the site. I have tried numerous highly rated vodkas due mainly to the advice from this site and want to provide my input, in turn, to help others navigate through the vast vodka offerings these days. Enjoying vodka and the many cocktails made with it can be expensive, so the friendly recommendations provided by the forum members help to avoid disappointment, wasting money and is always appreciated.

8. At the Stolichnaya Elit (Stoli Elit) Review on May 30, 2010 at 4:01 pm...

   I had the opportunity to try a Stoli Elite martini immediately following a terrific Zyr martini while out to dinner a couple of nights ago. In fact, I hadn't finished the Zyr before the Stoli Elite was served at the bar. The two vodkas seemed very similar; very smooth, mildly bittersweet, and had a mild Russian-style bite upon swallowing. At first I thought that the Zyr was a little smoother. Then I thought that the Elite was even smoother as the martini warmed up a little. But then, I thought Zyr was smoother, and so on. Perhaps, the the Zyr martini was a little tastier (though still relatively mild in that regard compared to other good Russian vodkas), but they had equally mild bites on swallowing. MAYBE, Elite was the smoother of the two, but it was a very subtle distinction. In the end, like Zyr, Stoli Elite earned 5 stars. Comparing my other 5 star ranked vodkas, Elite (and Zyr) was a little less smooth than Crystal Head, but a little smoother than Americana Luxury Vodka. Elite (and Zyr) had more bite than Crystal Head, but about the same as Americana. Americana is the tastiest of the 5 star group, however. Elite joins a group of some very fine vodkas, indeed!

9. At the ZYR Review on May 30, 2010 at 3:38 pm...

   Zyr is the next vodka in my martini quest. Well, actually Double Cross is, but there is no thread to post my very pleased 4 star impression of it, so it will have to wait until VodkaBuzz starts one. Zyr was very nice; making for a very smooth martini. Although it was a bit less tasty than the typical good bittersweet Russian vodka, it had only a mild Russian-style bite after the swallow. The more sips I had of the martini, the smoother, sweeter, and more bite-free it became. It made a terrific martini straight up with olives.
   
   Since I have already rated over a dozen vodkas on this site, it has become increasingly difficult to continue to rank the new entrants. It is hard to remember the nuances of the different vodkas over time and some initial impressions have changed a bit after additional tastings. Consequently, I will no longer be able to rank my tastings, but I can say that Zyr has earned 5 stars along with Crystal Head and Americana Luxury Vodka. Very impressive stuff!

10. At the Sobieski Review on Apr 18, 2010 at 2:49 pm...

    I finally had a chance to try Sobieski in a martini. I was very impressed with both its nice bittersweet flavor and its relative smoothness. Also, it had little burn when swallowed and no bad aftertaste. At this point, I am re-ranking Sobieski at fifth place with 4 stars just behind 360 and Tito's and just before Svedka. Additionally, it reaffirms its place as the leader for value followed by Svedka.
    
    While I still enjoy American Luxury Vodka more a little than Sobieski in a martini, it is difficult to justify spending more than twice the price to stock as my regular vodka at home.
    
    For anyone interested in my current martini vodka rankings, here is an updated list:
    
    1) Crystal Head [5 stars], 2) Americana Luxury Vodka [5 stars], 3) Russian Standard Original [4 stars], 4) (tie) 360 [4 stars], 4) (tie) Tito's Handmade [4 stars], 6) Sobieski [4 stars], 7) Svedka [4 stars], 8) Chopin [4 stars], 9) Ketel One [4 stars], 10) Stolichnaya [3 stars], 11) Ciroc [3 stars], 12) Skyy [3 stars], 13) Belvedere [3 stars], 14) Grey Goose [3 stars], 15) Absolut [2 stars]
    
    Till next time. Cheers.