Let me first make it clear that Grey Goose is a sham. It was created by an American guy, Sidney Frank, as cash grab. What I mean is that Grey Goose is the boy band of the vodka world and Sidney Frank is Lou Perlman. There is nothing inherently special about it. It has no historical recipe or special, modern processes to improve quality. It doesn’t even have a heart warming story. Frank planted the distillery in France to take advantage of the perceived elegance of the country. He even jacked the price up so that people would believe it is of higher quality. Let me say it again for those hard of reading: Grey Goose is a sham.

That said, he did an excellent job with his trickery. He created a brand that made him a ton of money and is arguably thought of as the best vodka on the market by the general public. I know a lot of vodkas get made just to score some cash. The reason Grey Goose bugs me is that Frank successfully duped the American public into believing that this vodka is something special when it really isn’t.

The Shot

I won’t protest that Grey Goose is a smooth vodka. It certainly isn’t a good tasting vodka. It’s a little bitter at first. Then it gets more bitter. After it goes down, the aftertaste is even more bitter. It doesn’t burn, but I’ve tasted better vodkas that are a lot cheaper and a lot less pretentious. That said, I’ve tasted worse. A chaser wasn’t necessary, but I wouldn’t mind one.

The Mixed Drink

I gave Grey Goose to the tried-and-true Simply Orange screwdriver. It’s not horrible, but the bitters are definitely there. The sweet flavors of the juice are diluted significantly. Normally, I enjoy the high pulp, but this brew isn’t very satisfying with pulp.

Opinions

Erin said, “It takes a lot of mixer to cover that up.” She mixed with passion fruit juice, which is usually a pretty good mixer.

I don’t expect to pull Grey Goose from its laurels in the eyes of the populous, but I do hope a few people have open eyes. Grey Goose isn’t what it claims to be. It’d be a wonderful vodka in a lower price range with different expectations. Where it stands, it’s simply an overstatement.