Comments On ZYR

1. 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.

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2. 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!

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3. 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.

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4. 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.

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5. 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!!

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6. 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.

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7. 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!

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8. 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.

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9. 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.

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10. 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.

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11. 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.

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12. 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.

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13. taffyg2003 said on Jul 14, 2010 at 7:22 pm...

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

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14. taffyg2003 said on Nov 07, 2010 at 7:54 pm...

    I went to my favorite restaurant/martini bar for the first time in at least a year last night, and I had a chance to compare a Tito's and Zyr martini up with olives. The last time I was there was before I had discovered this forum and didn't know too much about vodka. I was a die hard Grey Goose fan at the time, and had what had been the tastiest martini ever to that point. Even with some of the better vodkas that I have had since, this bar had made such a great martini that I still recall that Grey Goose martini as being one of the best I had ever had. That said, I really enjoyed last night's martinis, and had a chance to see just how great a vodka martini could be and how influential the vodka used could be.
    
    First, I had a Zyr martini. The aroma was stunningly sweet and non-alcoholic, with the first sip providing a similar taste sensation. In fact, the flavor was so intense that I thought that maybe a tiny amount of Gin had been added to enhance the sweetness and crispness. Next, I noticed that the martini was very smooth and had essentially no burn when swallowed. Even after drinking most of the cocktail, the surprising sensations persisted and reinforced my initial impression. This was probably the very best martini I'd ever had! Even the Crystal Head martinis that I've had, though a bit smoother, could not match the intensity of the flavor and enjoyment of this drink. Since this bar does not carry Crystal Head, I could only imagine how amazing they could prepare a martini with that outstanding vodka.
    
    Next, I had a martini made with Tito's. I thought that would be an interesting comparison due to the unusual neutrality and smoothness of that brand vodka. By comparison, the aroma was a bit muted and more alcoholic in nature. The flavor of the sip was also muted, and even a bit bitter in a way that reminded me subtly of burnt rubber. This surprised me, because I recall Tito's having such a neutral flavor in the vodka martinis I had made at home in the past. Finally, I was extremely impressed with the virtual lack of any burn on the swallow. It was even smoother than the Zyr martini. However, it was not nearly as tasty, and had the somewhat unpleasant bitter flavor comparatively. In the end, I would give the nod to the Zyr martini by a fairly large margin. I would also applaud this bar's staff for knowing how to prepare the tastiest vodka martinis that I've ever had. I give them a huge thumbs up! I only wish that they would add Crystal Head to their bar shelves.

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15. TC said on Nov 23, 2010 at 9:47 pm...

    Zyr is one of my all time favorites.
    I wasn't aware that Zyr was limited to select states/cities, but that might explain my surprise at the price you paid for it.
    I've never spent more than $25 for a bottle. It can almost always be found on sale at one of the towns liquor stores for less than $20 per fifth. At that price there is no better vodka. In my opinion it also beats Grey Goose, Belvedere, Level, and Van Gogh. Which all start at $35 per fifth. It has nearly no burn going down and a minimal aftertaste. Plus, you aren't paying extra for a name or drink sponsored by celebrities.

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16. taffyg2003 said on Apr 12, 2011 at 5:38 pm...

    Again, since there is no open thread in which to post comments about unrated vodkas, and since I have posted about "other" vodkas in the Zyr thread previously, I am going to post my review about Luksusowa here as well.
    
    WOW! I have read a few encouraging comments about this potato vodka, but I wasn't expecting it to be good enough to make it toward the top of my rating list. From the initial sweet aroma to the smooth and tasty finish after the swallow, Luksusowa is supreme. The flavor is quite sweet, which is especially pleasant in a martini. The nose is also sweet without the alcoholic burn. The martini cocktail that it made was very smooth and followed with nearly no burn at all. The aftertaste was mild and sweet, too. Compared to the bottle of Sobieski that I have been nursing, it is smoother, sweeter, and has noticeably less burn on the swallow. Even the after taste is more pleasant. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it may have made the best martini that I've made at home. Bear in mind that the martinis that I make still often do not match the quality of those made by many bartenders since I am still honing my vodka mixology skills, but this one challenged the best that I've had anywhere! At only $22.99 for a 1.75 liter bottle ( $9.85 per fifth), this is a terrific vodka at a great price. I can get Zyr, the excellent vodka that is the subject of this thread for about twice that price, but I am not sure that it is actually as great as Luksusowa! If you see this vodka on the liquor store shelf, buy it!

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17. taffyg2003 said on Nov 06, 2011 at 4:14 pm...

    Well, here I go again using the Zyr thread to post a review about a vodka not listed or reviewed. I hope that there will be a new section soon for non-rated vodka reviews.
    
    Anyway, I had an opportunity to try some vodkas that I hadn't tried before while out to dinner at an eclectic restaurant last night. There were some that I had never heard of, and a couple that I had seen on the local liquor store selves. I decided to try L.I.V. (aka Long Island Vodka) because I had seen it recently and was curious to see if a fairly local vodka were any good. Unfortunately, the extra dry martini that I had ordered arrive not so dry, but I drank it not to be annoying or insulting. From what I could tell by sifting through all of the vermouth, L.I.V. seemed fairly smooth, bittersweet, and with a minimum bite. I seemed quite good overall, but with nothing to draw me to try it again. I am giving it roughly 3 plus to 4 stars, which puts it toward the lower third of my 30 or so rated vodkas, but definitely ahead of the least favorite Absolut.

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18. Robert said on Nov 09, 2011 at 7:16 am...

    I'm thinking on some ideas for reviews of things that I don't have access to. That feature was one of the big needs the redesign/rewrite is going to address, but work volume at my day job is getting so high that any coding I do at home has to be dedicated to the day job just to keep up.
    
    Right now, I'm thinking it'll amount to a blog post where you can add reviews as comments, then I'll either do them as guest reviews on the blog (or maybe even as official guest reviews for those I trust their opinion) or create a review page without a review to post the reviews under. Obviously, your feedback is welcome since you'll be one of the primary users of the feature.

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19. taffyg2003 said on Nov 15, 2011 at 4:03 pm...

    @Robert, thank you for considering my request. I understand that running a website is not an easy venture, and can be quite time consuming and oftentimes a bit frustrating. In its current format, I already consider your site to be the most informative, active, and interactive vodka review sites on the Internet. Any improvement would just raise the bar that much higher. Keep up the great work. ;)

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20. taffyg2003 said on Jan 27, 2012 at 4:15 pm...

    @Robert, is there any progress with your effort to provide a blog zone for discussion of non-reviewed vodkas, yet?

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21. Robert said on Jan 28, 2012 at 10:27 am...

    Not yet, unfortunately. The day job has been insane the past two months. Working 60 hours per week to keep up, so free time has been scarce.

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