Before now, I’ve never tried Barton Vodka. To be honest, I’ve never seen or heard of Barton Vodka until I started reviewing vodkas. It sits on the bottom shelf with other vodkas I commonly ignore.
The Shot
The taste is immediately bitter. It’s bold at first and gets stronger the longer it sits in my mouth. I notice the moisture being pulled from my tongue like I have with other cheap vodkas (e.g. Skol or Aristocrat). When I swallow, there is a strong, parching, ethanol burn. The bitterness fills the back of my throat. A chaser is required.
The Mixed Drink
I mixed with Passion Fruit juice. Barton’s mixes surprisingly well. It tastes slightly more bitter than Smirnoff when mixed. Barton Vodka is bearable, but certainly too bitter for casual drinking. If you’re pressed for a cheap Smirnoff replacement (though I hope you are never required to do such), Barton Vodka would be a great choice.
Opinions
Barton Vodka is better than most other bottom shelf vodkas, but doesn’t quite fall into the bottom of the middle range. If you need a really cheap vodka, Barton Vodka is probably what you want. However, if you like the people you’re drinking with, I’d suggest shelling out the extra cash for Smirnoff.
