blond.chap wrote:Interesting discussion guys, I'm not a vodka drinker usually, so I've been under the (seemingly false) impression that the idea in making vodka is to remove all flavour apart from the slight ethanol sweetness.
Any recommendations for a good vodka to calibrate taste buds?
If you sample some of the better vodka brands out there, such as Grey Goose, Chopin, and Ketle One, they all have distinctive flavours with a smooth mouth feel finish. The heat is never in the mouth and the warmth is felt only in the chest as it goes down. They sell at a premium.
That's the aim I want to replicate. The weetbix does that, and I'd hazard a guess just about any wheat cereal would too as long as cuts are ruthless. The hangover is at worst dehydration. Another method I have tried is woodchip on finished spirit in a carboy so it goes a whiskey colour (a week is all that's needed if ample chip is used). Then sit on carbon for 4 to 6 months to strip the wood chip colour so it ends up clearer than water. The flavour left by the wood but not removed by the carbon is awesome. I think it's better than Grey Goose. The kicker is how long it takes to make. It's the only reason I'll use carbon.
Low range vodka IMO is Absolut, as it has a distinctive ethyl acetate heads taste/smell to it, and even in mixers (unless strong like cola I can still smell/taste it). On the wire as a mixer and not a sipper is Below 42, it's a New Zealand brand. It's a mid-range vodka and while clean on pallete there's no pleasant aftertaste. It's souless. They're the sort of results I want to avoid.