Vodka Review: ZYR by VodkaBuzz
- Rating
- out of 5 shots
- Bang For The Buck
- 3 out of 5 shots
- User Rating
-
5.0000 out of 5 shots
- Rate It Now!
- Average Price
- $32.50 per 750 mL / See By State / You add a price you've seen if you join VodkaBuzz.
- Percent Alcohol
- 40
- Distilled From
- Wheat Rye
- Times Distilled
- 5
- Charcoal Filtered
- Yes
- Imported By
- Symphony Importers
- Website
- ZYR
- Cap Type
- Cork
Identifying Features
The blue-tinted bottle is large at the top and tapered in towards the base. It is adorned with white swooshes, and ZYR is clearly marked on the front. This bottle looks like it should be in an up-scale club.
Written on the Bottle
ZYR Vodka is crafted from a blend of wheat and rye grown in the rich black soil of Russia's heartland. Nine filtrations, five distillations and a three-stage taste test ensure ZYR's clean taste and ultra smooth texture. Try ZYR neat.
Review
A reader sent me a suggestion awhile back to try ZYR, calling it delicious and smooth. Unfortunately, it is only sold in a hand full of states. So, I put it in the suggestions queue on the off chance that I ended up finding it.
I happen to be in Las Vegas for a wedding. While looking through one of the liquor stores, ZYR happened to catch my eye. So, I grabbed it up.
The Shot
The shot was initially clean. It stayed that way until after the swallow, when it left a slight bitter aftertaste. There was almost no burn, and I didn't need a chaser. It's a great shooter in the Russian tradition.
The Mixed Drink
Being that we were in Vegas, the contents of the bottle ended up disappearing long before I had a chance to mix the vodka. Normally, I'd grab another bottle and review it further later. However, I was only in Vegas for a limited time. So, this review will remain incomplete until later.
Opinions
Daniel did shots with me. He came to the same conclusions I did. It went down smooth with a slightly bad aftertaste. Daniel needed a chaser for the initial shots. Later that night, he was having no problem with the shots.
While I can't make any claims about how ZYR mixes (though I think it'd be a good mixer), I can say that it is a good shooter. It fits well in the price range it sits.
Comments On ZYR
jawamboldt said on May 19, 2009 at 5:42 am...
I also had Zyr for the first time in Vegas while I was living there. I was having dinner one night at Red Square in Mandalay Bay having dinner with some friends and we tried a few of their vodka flights. This was one of twelve vodkas I sampled that night and quickly became my favorite. We sat at the bar for a while before eating for some drinks and caviar. I ordered a flight containing Zyr at the recommendation of the bartender. Everything was good, but this was the one that really stood out. When we went to our table to eat, I ended up ordering a Zyr with 3 ice cubes and a twist of lemon, which is how I always drink my vodka.
Also, I have to recommend the Roquefort Fillet Mignon as well. I've eaten there many times and find myself coming back to that quite often. It's the best entree on the menu there IMO.
Reply to This
Robert said on May 23, 2009 at 9:20 pm...
I don't make it to Vegas often, but I'll check it out next time I'm there. Zyr played a big role in the festivities last time. Wouldn't mind a repeat of that!
Reply to This
Jason said on Jan 07, 2010 at 10:44 am...
A couple of people I know have said good things about this one, so I tried it. Very clean and smooth going down, very mild burn. However, I did not like the aftertaste. There are other top-shelf vodkas I'd choose over this one, like Chopin.
Reply to This
Jason said on Jan 08, 2010 at 9:09 am...
I'll have to add that I can still taste the bitterness in a screwdriver or Madras after mixing this. There are better and much cheaper choices for mixers than this vodka IMO.
Reply to This
maggie said on Feb 22, 2010 at 4:27 pm...
This is the BEST russian vodka on the market. I disagree with your rating. This vodka puts all other to shame, and I have tried them all..........
Maybe you should try drinking it again!!
Reply to This
Robert said on Feb 23, 2010 at 11:03 am...
I don't think it got a fair shake. I plan on re-reviewing when I can find another bottle.
Reply to This
taffyg2003 said 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!
Reply to This
Robert said on Jun 03, 2010 at 10:01 am...
@taffyg2003
"It is hard to remember the nuances of the different vodkas over time"
I know the feeling. That's why I swapped to a star-based rating system from a relative-to-other-vodkas rating system.
I think I'm gonna have to figure out user reviews at some point. I'd like to give everyone the option of commenting / reviewing a vodka that we haven't reviewed yet. Not a lot of people do the type reviews you do, but the good, thoughtful ones (like you've been doing) are pretty valuable.
Reply to This
taffyg2003 said 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.
Reply to This
Jason said on Jun 28, 2010 at 8:15 am...
I for one think that the review is spot on, and had pretty much the same experience, don't like the aftertaste. I tried mixing with it too, and stand by what I said, there are better and much cheaper vodkas if you are going to mix, IMO.
Reply to This
taffyg2003 said 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.
Reply to This
taffyg2003 said 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.
Reply to This
taffyg2003 said on Jul 14, 2010 at 7:22 pm...
4 "plus". Somehow, the plus key does not show up here. Sorry again folks.
Reply to This