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Archive for the ‘Vodka Reviews’ Category

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Review: Crystal Head Aurora Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 18, 2018

Crystal Head Vodka is a Vodka Brand created by Dan Aykroyd (Canadian Actor and Comedian) and John Alexander (Artist) in 2007. I first encountered the spirit in 2011 at Edmonton’s Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival where a pleasant woman at the Crystal Head Vodka booth went to great lengths explaining how this is a quadruple distilled premium Vodka, filtered with real diamond filters, produced using only the freshest water found in Newfoundland. She gave a great presentation, but I’ll be honest, she already had my full attention with the Crystal Skull decanter.

Crystal Head Aurora Vodka is the newest creation in the Crystal Head line-up. It is produced by Globefill Inc.. at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation distillery in Newfoundland, Canada. The spirit is five times distilled in a traditional column still using English wheat from North Yorkshire, England.

Cocktail Suggestion: Hawking Radiation

After distillation and filtered using activated charcoal in a filtration which lasts 6 hours to remove any impurities. It is then filtered three more times through layers of Herkimer diamonds. A final micro filtration is performed, and then the is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume. Crystal Head Aurora has won numerous awards recently, including a Gold Medal at the prestigious 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Here is my Review for this new Aurora Vodka:

Review: Crystal Head Aurora Vodka

“… The aroma was clean with a little grain spice and a light scent of wheat flour in the air. When I took my first sip I was surprised at the firm grain-like spiciness which I encountered which was accompanied by an ever so light flavour of starch and a touch of both lemon citrus and mint. There was also a very light sweetness …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a nice cocktail suggestion, the Hawking Radiation.

Chimo!

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Last Mountain Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 12, 2017

A few of my readers have been asking lately why I have curtailed my review publications this summer. As well my publication schedule has become somewhat erratic. The delays and lack of publications were a result of a lengthy hospital stay for a family member which created a bit on an upheaval. I want to let everyone know that things should be getting back to normal very soon.

One of the spirit samples which became jammed up in my review queue is the Last Mountain Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka from Saskatchewan’s first micro-distillery, in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, the Last Mountain Distillery.

Last Mountain Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka is made using all natural ingredients including real tea freshly brewed for each batch. It is bottled at 35.2% alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my long overdue review:

Last Mountain Sweet Tea Flavoured Vodka

“… When I brought it to my nose I was pleasantly surprised to find tell-tale traces of honey in the air rather than sugar syrup. The all natural ingredients advertised thus may include fresh honey as well as freshly made tea …”

Please enjoy the review and stay tuned for more.

Chimo!

Posted in Flavoured Vodka, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Review: Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 21, 2017

Prairie Organic Spirits are produced and bottled by Ed Phillips and Sons located in Princeton, Minnesota. According to the company website all of the Prairie Organic Spirits are produced using:

“single-sourced, vintage corn grown on family-owned, organic farms in the Midwest”

Additionally we are informed that each batch of Prairie Organic Spirit is distilled in small batches to a specific taste profile rather than being distilled a certain number of time to meet a specific marketing whim.

The subject of this review, Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka is produced by blending garden fresh cucumber flavour with Prairie Organic Vodka and water. You may read my full review by clicking the link below:

Review: Prairie Organic Cucumber Vodka

“… When I bring my nose to the glass, the scent of freshly cut cucumber is obvious. There is also a  light sweetness accompanying the cucumber scent. I find the spirit enticing and my mind is already going over some mixing possibilities …”

Please enjoy my review which includes two cocktail suggestions, a Cucumber and Lime Tonic, and a Cucumber Mint Cooler.

Chimo!

 

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Review: Smirnoff No. 21 (Red) Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on June 6, 2017

I reviewed Smirnoff No. 21 Red first in 2013, and then revisited the brand this year when I chose to compare four Vodkas in a small tasting competition (Smirnoff No. 21 Red, Reyka, Skyy and Last Mountain Distillery Hand Crafted Vodkas). I tasted the spirits in pairs, and when I determined which vodka from each pair was my preferred spirit, then I tasted the winners of each of the previous tasting sessions went head to head in a final taste-off.

Smirnoff No. 21 (Red) was the class of the tasting sessions winning both of its head to head tastings. This is the second time I have reviewed No. 21 and it is the second time it has surprised me by its overall quality.

Here is a link to the full Review:

Review: Smirnoff No. 21 (Red) Vodka

“… The spirit demonstrated scents of fine grain spice, and a sweep of citrus (lemon and lime) zest. When I took a sip, I found the flavour matched the scents in the breezes with  grain-like spiciness of grain and a very light somewhat earthy lemon/balsam flavour. I did not notice any metallic after taste nor any bitterness after I swallowed …”

Please enjoy my review of the surprising winner of my mini tasting competition. Chimo!

 

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Review: Skyy Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 9, 2017

Skyy Vodka was created by Maurice Kanbar who formed Skyy Spirits LLC. in 1992 to market the spirit. The Vodka is quadruple distilled from American grain, and is also apparently filtered three times though California limestone prior to bottling. In 1999, the Compari Group (headquartered in Milan, Italy) purchased the brand, and Skyy is now a product of the Campari America Division.

I sampled Skyy Vodka for the first time two years ago and decided to revisit the brand this year when I chose to compare four Vodkas in a small tasting competition(Smirnoff No. 21 Red, Reyka, Skyy and Last Mountain Distillery Hand Crafted Vodkas). I tasted the spirits in pairs, and when I determined which vodka from each pair was my preferred spirit, then I tasted the winners of each of the previous tasting sessions went head to head in a final taste-off.

Here is a link to my revised review of Skyy Vodka:

Review: Skyy Vodka

“… the spirit was very lightly sweet with a nice clean spiciness and a hint of menthol that seemed refreshing. There was also a hint of a very lightly bitter pithy (that white stuff on the back side of a citrus peel) flavour which carried into the aftertaste. Fortunately as the spirit warmed, that lightly bitter flavour did not increase …”

Please enjoy this revised review which indicates substantial improvement in the brand over the past two years. Chimo!

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