Vodka Review: 360 by VodkaBuzz
- Rating
- out of 5 shots
- Bang For The Buck
- 5 out of 5 shots
- User Rating
-
4.1000 out of 5 shots
- Rate It Now!
- Average Price
- $21.75 per 750 mL / See By State / You add a price you've seen if you join VodkaBuzz.
- Percent Alcohol
- 40
- Distilled From
- Grain
- Times Distilled
- 4
- Charcoal Filtered
- Yes
- Other Processes
- Highly energy efficient distilling process
- Produced By
- Earth Friendly Bottling Co
- Website
- 360
- Cap Type
- Swing Top
Identifying Features
Green-tinted, "recycled-looking" bottle. Swing top cap.
Written on the Bottle
The evolution of vodka. Eco-friendly. Four times distilled, five times filtered. Vodka distilled for optimal eco-efficiency. Labels made with 100% post-consumer waste paper. Revolutionary bottle consisting of of 85% recycled glass (70% post-consumer glass).
New Leaf Paper Environmental Benefits Statement: Earth Friendly Bottling Co. saved the following resources in the production of 360 Vodka's labels. Calculation based on research by Environmental Defenses and other members of Paper Task Force.
| Trees | 113 Fully Grown |
|---|---|
| Water | 48,371 Gallons |
| Energy | 81 Million BTUs |
| Solid Waste | 5,409 Pounds |
| Greenhouse Gasses | 10,550 Pounds |
| Avg. Driving in US Car | 9,222 Miles |
| Av. Home Electricity Use | 0.8 Years |
Review
I noticed 360 vodka for the same reason I wrote it off: 360 is the "eco-friendly" vodka. Every bottle has an envelope folded up and attached with twine. It stands out because of the swing top cap, which goes in the postage-paid envelope to be sent back to the factory. 360 reuses the tops and sends a donation to an "eco-friendly organization."
I've had organic / eco vodka. They are usually decent vodkas, but the eco side hardly makes a difference. I usually write it off as hype. 360, however, has gone above and beyond for the environmental cause. Even the gift set, which would normally be adorned with fancy glasses or mixers, comes with a compact florescent bulb.
I eventually got over my reluctance and decided to pick up a bottle. I was floored, and have been ever since.
The Shot
The shot is smooth. Man, oh, man, it's smooth. The taste is sweet and barely there. This is the closest to a true ethanol / water mixture I've tasted. It goes down with no burn and no bitter aftertaste.
The Mixed Drink
White grape pomegranate again. 360 vodka is like candy mixed. There is only a slight hint of the flavor. Everything else tastes quite natural.
Opinions
Erin got in on this one. She said she could still taste the vodka but she could "drink" it (rather than sip it). Daniel did a few shots with me, too. He's not here to give me his direct opinion. However, he talked a lot about how he could taste the vodka in the shot but it didn't taste bad.
It's no secret that 360 is my favorite vodka. I've tried a lot of vodkas, and nothing compares. I don't know if their eco-hype is for real, though I hope it is. I do know: If you want an ultra-premium vodka made in the United States, this is the one to get.
Comments On 360
tammy said on Apr 02, 2008 at 1:50 am...
hangover??
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Robert said on Apr 02, 2008 at 10:08 pm...
None. 360 is the best.
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terry said on Apr 10, 2008 at 2:54 am...
tito's vodka--texas fellow i believe...shut it down till you try his vodka. for real. credibility is at stake.
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ryan hastings said on Sep 30, 2008 at 3:29 pm...
glad you are adding pictures to the reviews. i like visuals.
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VodkaBuzz said on Oct 01, 2008 at 9:04 am...
Ryan, the original plan was to have photos for all the vodkas. However, I couldn't find a set up where I could take good photos of the bottles. So, I gave up on it for now. I had kept all the review bottles until recently in case I found a good way to shoot them, but that's out the door now. Eventually, I'll photograph them all.
360 was kind enough to give me permission to use their product photos.
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Ray Abraham said on Nov 03, 2008 at 4:14 pm...
I agree to the tee! 360 vodka is my current favorite also. It's way too smooth and refreshing to compare to any other out there. American vodka is the best and here is why. The laws state on what cannot be added and must be stated what if anything was legally added. Unlike the imports where glycerin, citric acid, sugar, etc. are all too many times the recipe to make their vodkas "creamy and sweet".
American made vodkas is all I drink now. I've reviewed 40 or so different vodkas from all over the world. 360 is the winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Austin said on Mar 23, 2009 at 1:04 am...
I grabbed a bottle of 360 yesterday, and I am very impressed with the quality of this vodka for the price. For a 1.75 liter it only costs 40 dollars, and for a vodka that is this smooth that is a good deal.
I must say being mainly a whiskey drinker, it seems like it is lacking something on the front end. However it goes down like butter, so I am not complaining. Very good stuff, I must say I wouldn't have grabbed it if I didn't read all the good reviews on this website before going to the store...
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Robert said on Mar 23, 2009 at 1:53 pm...
@Austin, a lot of vodkas strive to be flavorless. 360 is one of those, in my opinion. Whiskies, on the other hand, pride themselves on flavor. So, ultimately, from your perspective, a good vodka might be missing a lot. If you want something with more character, try Imperia or one of the other Russian vodkas. The Russian vodkas I've had tend to have a bit more bite to them. That may give you what you're looking for on the front end. It'll never taste like Whiskey, but it'll give you a flavor unique to certain vodkas to look for.
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bettidaniels said on May 31, 2009 at 11:48 am...
incredibly smooth. this is now my favorite also.
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Robert said on Jun 01, 2009 at 10:46 am...
Did you see the 360 Earth Day rebate?
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bettidaniels said on Jun 01, 2009 at 10:00 pm...
yes -- almost mailed it in today but forgot to get the UPC code off the bottle! thanks for the reminder ;) i'll mail it tomorrow
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Rich said on Jul 11, 2009 at 10:43 pm...
Having finally got my hands on a bottle I have to say 360 is going in with Tito's for my favorite vodkas category. That subtle sweetness makes for an absolutely excellent white russian.
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Rich said on Jul 11, 2009 at 10:51 pm...
As a side note about the rebate, after asking my local liquor store to get some 360 they stocked four fifths of it on the shelf, all of them have the tag for the rebate right on the bottle but it seems there is a limit of two rebates per household.
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butch wheasler said on Dec 12, 2009 at 2:32 pm...
great vodka, got it 19$ with a 10$ rebate,wow what a value
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David Hufferd said on Jan 24, 2010 at 8:33 am...
Not happy with lucus liquor in Kansas City. They are still promoting your rebate and I find out it was over Dec. of 2009. Is this true?
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Robert said on Jan 24, 2010 at 9:17 am...
There was a coupon 360 released for Earth Day that is expired now. If the place is advertising the coupon, will they still take it? If so, take advantage of it. If not, you may want to kindly ask them to put a note on the advert that it is expired.
For the record, VodkaBuzz is not affiliated with 360. We're just a vodka review site. If you'd like to contact 360, they have a form on the 360 website.
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taffyg2003 said on Feb 26, 2010 at 8:06 pm...
I finally had a chance to pick up a bottle of 360, and I made a martini with it tonight. Overall, it reminded me of Tito's. It had a very neutral flavor, was very smooth, and had very little bite. I was looking for the slight sweetness that has been mentioned on this forum, and as I've enjoyed in Crystal Head martinis, but it was simply neutral like Tito's. I am hard pressed at this time to rate one above the other, so I will call it a tie. However, in the context of comparing both of these to Russian Standard, at least with regard to the quality of the martinis that they make, I would like to change my assessment and promote Russian Standard just above Tito's, and now 360, in my ranking of vodka martinis. Perhaps, as a straight shot, both Tito's and 360 would be the better and smoother bet, but that is not how I generally drink vodka. To update my complete rankings list of my favorite vodkas in terms of how well they work in a straight up vodka martini with olives, here is what I have put together:
1) Crystal Head [5 stars] 2) Russian Standard [4 stars] 3) 360 [4 stars] (tie) 3) Tito's Handmade [4 stars] (tie) 5) Ketel One [4 stars] 6) Sobieski [4 stars] 7) Stolichnaya [3 stars] 8) Skyy [3 stars] 9) Belvedere [3 stars] 10) Grey Goose [3 stars] 11) Absolut [2 stars]
In terms of smoothness, the top vodkas are Crystal Head, 360 and Tito's Handmade tied, then Ketel One. In terms of pleasant flavor, the front runners are Crystal Head, Russian Standard, Sobieski*, Stolichnaya, and then Grey Goose.
Putting smoothness and flavor in the context of value (price), I would place the top few in the following order: Sobieski, Tito's Handmade, then Russian Standard.
Since I have not tasted most of these vodkas neat, I can not properly rank them, though I would expect the top few to be Crystal Head, 360 and Tito's Handmade.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, at this point in my vodka martini tasting experience, I would probably be inclined to stock Russian Standard in my freezer, order Crystal Head at a bar (if available), and order Ketel One as my readily available bar vodka. 360 and Tito's may find their way into my freezer again, too, in order to have some variety.
Cheers
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taffyg2003 said on Feb 26, 2010 at 8:11 pm...
The * next to Sobieski in the above post indicates that I have only tasted this vodka neat, unlike the others, which were tasted in a martini cocktail.
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Jason said on Jun 24, 2010 at 4:56 pm...
Initial impression when I first opened the bottle is that it smells like rubbing alchohol. Fortunately, drinking it was a much more pleasant surprise. Very neutral and flavorless, it reminded me of Tito's at least the in-mouth feel. It goes down much better than Tito's, with a very mild burn and a much better aftertaste unlike Tito's, which I found harsh and caustic going down the throat and then the feeling and taste in your whole mouth afterwards. This vodka tastes like what Tito's should have been, IMO, especially after reading all the raving good reviews for Tito's. Unfortunately, 360 is very hard to find in my area, and the local liquor store where I found it sells it for more than the listed average price on this website, about $28.
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mwshockley said on Aug 11, 2010 at 1:34 am...
I tried this tonight based on user reviews here, I am giving the remaining to someone else, I thought it was horrible.
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