Vodka Review: Skol by Robert
- Rating
- out of 5 shots
- Bang For The Buck
- 0 out of 5 shots
- User Rating
-
1.0000 out of 5 shots
- Rate It Now!
- Average Price
- $6.59 per 750 mL / See By State / You add a price you've seen if you join VodkaBuzz.
- Percent Alcohol
- 40
- Produced By
- J.A. Dougherty's Sons, Co
- Website
- Skol
- Cap Type
- Plastic Screw On
Written on the Bottle
Famous since 1849.
Review
Once upon a time (when I was in college), I served drinks at a country club. At some point in my tenure there, Skol became the official well vodka. I thought it was sad that they were using a vodka cheaper than Smirnoff. However, I never bothered to try Skol to see if it compared. I decided to change that.
The Shot
The initial taste hides behind the chill. As the vodka warms in my mouth, the moisture slowly gets ripped away, forcing me to swallow. Skol rips and burns all the way down my throat. The aftertaste is so bitter it requires a chaser.
The Mixed Drink
The mixer was Red Bull. The mixed drink was horrible. It tasted like the Red Bull was spoiled.
Opinions
Luckily, I didn't have anyone drinking with me. If you want a bottom shelf vodka, there are better options than Skol.
If you see the following form, please ignore it.
Comments On Skol
Atik said on Dec 10, 2008 at 11:13 pm...
I shoot vodka pretty regularly... Skol is actually my second choice to Stolichnaya. I can't help but wonder if you usually shoot your vodka, as skol's unusually smooth and bordering on sweet with just enough bite to assure you're drinking vodka.
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Robert said on Dec 11, 2008 at 12:25 pm...
Actually, I prefer straight vodka to mixed drinks. Until recently, that was the only way I drank vodka. For reviews, I don't simply knock back shots. I try to take in the flavor and experience the vodka, rather than throw it down. I'm sure one could get by on Skol if they shot and chased it so fast that they didn't "savor" it. However, while trying to enjoy the vodka, I just don't see how anyone could prefer the taste of Skol, even ignoring the obvious bottom-shelf-ness of the vodka. It seems to me Skol isn't and doesn't pretend to be a good vodka.
That said, everyone is entitled to his own opinion. If you want to drink Skol, I certainly won't stop you.
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Atik said on Dec 12, 2008 at 10:15 am...
Fair enough. Thank you for your timely response. To be fair, I do chase immediately. Just one thing... why not add hangover potential to the reviews? I actually knocked back half a fifth of skol last night and feel rather peachy this morning. Maybe I'm just an alcoholic. Are you the same guy that reviewed Rain? If so... given what you think of Skol, I may have to try it. Thanks for your time.
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Robert said on Dec 12, 2008 at 12:43 pm...
I haven't been able to quantify hangover potential. A lot of that does have to do with the impurities that don't get filtered out, but it has a lot more to do with whether you re-hydrate (since alcohol causes dehydration, which has all kinds of nasty effects associated with hangovers), whether you ate food during / after drinking (as I've found eating a good meal after reduces the stomach nausea), and how well your metabolism works (as I found in my younger years that I rarely had hangovers and now I have them more often as my metabolism slows with age).
So, I could say whether I got one, but I don't think it'd be indicative of other people's experience and it may unjustly show poorly for a vodka if I didn't take care of myself before bed. That said, for the Imperia review (currently rated #4), I did mention the hangover (or lack of one). I did this because their site specifically pointed out the lower impurities would result in less of a hang over.
As far as reviews, I am the only reviewer at this point. I usually post my opinions, then post those of the people I drank with at the end of the review. So, not only did I review Rain, I reviewed every vodka on the site. Rain is a really great vodka for the dollar. You may be interested in Sobieski as well. It's priced around Smirnoff, but is better than Stoli. In fact, it's better than a lot of vodkas I've had. It's currently rated #6.
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Cheapie McAlchy said on Dec 04, 2010 at 5:43 am...
Man, the best of the cheap shit. A staple for the minimum-wage alcoholic. Best vodka 12 bucks can buy.
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Guzzler O'Firewater said on Dec 07, 2010 at 8:02 pm...
Man, Im with Cheapie. Skol is one of the best burn for the buck.
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Robert said on Dec 08, 2010 at 7:38 am...
Ha! That's a great way to put it!
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tim said on Feb 20, 2011 at 8:14 am...
My assesment is totally opposite of above. Skol rates better than even top shelf vodka's, any vodka in fact. I'v been a SKOL fan since first it surfaced in my area.
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Trenton said on May 21, 2011 at 11:41 am...
@Tim, i dont know what rankings you are looking at, probably the same ones that say Smirinoff is a top shelf vodka, skoal is not a good vodka at all i drink vodka on the rocks, no chaser, no shooting it down, i prefer Purus, or if i want a grape vodka instead of wheat, i go Ciroc.
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Jim said on Jul 21, 2011 at 3:53 pm...
Even accounting for taste, I don't understand how anybody could confuse Skol with decent vodka. It has an awful sulfurous taste that makes itself known even through layers of sweet mixer. Only when I'm already stinking drunk do I ever even consider buying Skol, and I always immediately regret it (not the next day, immediately!)
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Larry said on Oct 02, 2011 at 2:15 pm...
this stuff is the best man!! the cheap price makes up for the taste, just mix it with some mtn dew and you're set for the night!! I <3 SKOL!!!
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DPowell said on Dec 17, 2011 at 4:40 pm...
Mix with lemon juice in a shot the bitter lemon goes well
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