In trying to progress my bottom shelf reviews, I decided to grab Taaka (which, incidentally, is made by the maker of several other vodkas, including Rain). I picked up a 200 mil bottle since I don’t like to drink any more of the lower shelf than I have to. I got Taaka because it had a 200 mil bottle. It turns out that Taaka doesn’t make any grandiose claims. They just say it’s genuine vodka, which is true, and that they like to hear from their customers, which I won’t be testing.

The Shot

Taaka, while more expensive than Aristocrat Royal, is definitely worse to shoot. That is apparent on first taste. The bitter flavor sticks to the back of my tongue and throat. It burns all the way down.

The Mixed Drink

I fell back on White Grape Pomegranate. As I’ve said before, this mixer really masks the taste of vodka. While Taaka is a bad shooter, it’s a decent mixer. It is, at least, a step above Aristocrat. The bitters still shine through, but it doesn’t taste like the mixer is past its expiration.

Opinions

This time I made sure I wasn’t the only one subjecting myself to cheap vodka. While Erin declined, Daniel did the shot and mixed drink with me. Daniel said this reminded him of when he just wanted to get drunk on a budget. While the mixer was bearable, he said the shot “felt wrong” going down his throat and burned, “but not like how a shot of whiskey feels warm going down.”

Taaka is definitely not a shooting vodka. If you want to “drink on a budget” and you are mixing, give Taaka a try. Otherwise, you might want to try something on the next shelf up.