Is three olives vodka any good?

[smackababy]

I can't imagine that zero essence of whatever the vodka was made of remains. I don't believe that US made vodka can screw with the ingredients / flavorings unless it is explicitly stated on the bottle, which is actually why American vodka rules.

Perhaps a lot of the differences come from the water?

I think it has to come down to some water and how it is distilled. The "pefect" vodka would be pure ethanol and pure water, but that seems to be a lot harder to come by than not.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

...and a special small batch vodka that's been "aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years."

That worked for tequila, why not try it for vodka too?

 

[RearAdmiral]

column stills (which pretty much everyone uses) can do that. pot stills are good for things like whiskey where you want some of the underlying grain to come through. but they're much more expensive to run than column stills.


most vodka is actually distilled by big ag concerns and then sent to the beverage concerns for final finishing and packaging. other than filter and maybe add water i don't think the bev companies actually do much.

Ahh okay cool. What do you think about the water introduction of impurities then?

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Maybe went from 15 dollars to 17.50...

Around here it was 10-13 bucks. Now I see it around $25.

 

[ElFenix]

Ahh okay cool. What do you think about the water introduction of impurities then?

i can't think of much in standard potable water that would make a difference for vodka packaging.

obviously the water should make a difference - but without knowing what the water source is it'd be hard to say. dripping springs vodka (there's now about 5 vodka makers located within 100 miles of austin) uses copper pot stills and hill country water, and i want to say it tastes different (better?) than other vodkas. but was that just psychosomatic? was it that i'd had a few other texas liquors at that point (railean's rum is legit, so is her agave spirit)?

That worked for tequila, why not try it for vodka too?

i chose "new charred oak barrels for a minimum of 2 years" for a specific reason.

 

[ElFenix]

dp

 

[hans030390]

IIRC, Three Olives had a lot of really good flavored vodkas. I remember one tasting exactly like skittles...or maybe it was fruit loops. Or maybe they had products for both!

 

[UnklSnappy]

I like Zombie Apocalypse vodka.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I like Zombie Apocalypse vodka.

You know, premium vodka drinkers might be the only ones to survive a zombie apocalypse.

 

[Muse]

Enlighten me, I thought vodka was supposed to be pretty neutral. I know, it's not just alcohol and water, but is the difference between expensive and cheap vodka really that great? Mostly I use vodka to make my own liqueurs and I use the cheap stuff.

 

[smackababy]

Enlighten me, I thought vodka was supposed to be pretty neutral. I know, it's not just alcohol and water, but is the difference between expensive and cheap vodka really that great? Mostly I use vodka to make my own liqueurs and I use the cheap stuff.

Unless you're getting the flavored stuff, it really should just be ethanol and water. However, the distilling process and the filtering process will differ between brands and price range. Realistically, if you mix it with other stuff, there is no reason to get a more expensive vodka. Just avoid Skol and Military Special unless you're wanting to clean an engine or something.

The 'ideal' vodka would be pure ethanol and pure water. However, that seems very hard to actually get.

 

[ElFenix]

Enlighten me, I thought vodka was supposed to be pretty neutral. I know, it's not just alcohol and water, but is the difference between expensive and cheap vodka really that great? Mostly I use vodka to make my own liqueurs and I use the cheap stuff.

you could buy everclear and distilled water and make your own.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

More/better filtered vodka does taste a bit smoother and not as raw as the cheap $9.99 a handle stuff.

As someone else posted, the NY Times article says it all. Smirnoff is a quality Vodka for $18 a handle. Blind tastings is the only way to go to avoid bias.

Big fans of: Svedka Citron, Ketl One, & Smirnoff Flavors. ROK was our go to cheap stuff at about $15 a handle but can;t find it anymore. Costco American Vodka at $13.99 handle is good too.

Three Olives has quite the wacky list of Flavors as well, but some of em are too syrupy/sugar sweet.