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Archive for the ‘Vodka Reviews’ Category

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Review: Ketel One Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 13, 2017

ketel-martini-sam_3029Ketel One Vodka is a Dutch spirit distilled from European Wheat in copper pot stills. It is produced by the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam (the Netherlands). The Nolet Distillery was founded in 1691, has remained a family owned distillery to this day.

When the Ketel One brand was developed the name was chosen to recognize the coal-fired copper still that was originally used to distill it. In dutch that name is  Distilleerketel #1.  Although the brand was created by the Nolet family (in 1981) and is still produced at their facility in Schiedam, Ketel One Vodka is now sold world-wide by Diageo through an agreement reached with the distillery in 2008.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Ketel One Vodka

“… there was unanimous consent around the table that the vodka was extremely smooth going down. I could feel a bevy of clean peppery spice in my mouth, but there was no burn or discomfort after the swallow. There were light after flavours of vanilla, lemon zest and grain spice, but no metallic flavours nor any sign of vegetal aftertaste …”

Please enjoy my review.

Chimo!

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Review: Lowry Park Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 6, 2017

sam_3018Lowry Park Vodka is an American spirit produced by Terrapure Spirits in North Charleston (South Carolina). The spirit is distilled six times from grain, and is part of the Preferred Selection at the Western Canadian Liquor Depot chain of stores.

As part of the review process, I first sampled the spirit on my own side by side with three rival vodkas (Antrim, Gray’s Peak, and Ketel One) where I put all spirits through the paces of my review methodology. I served the spirits chilled and sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and then sampled each with a variety of foods. I finished the tasting session with some cocktails made from each spirit. The following week held a Vodka tasting for a few friends where we repeated the tasting in a group format. Based upon these two tasting sessions, and based upon comments from my friends I constructed my review for each spirit.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Lowry Park Vodka

“… When I tossed down a full swallow (served cold), I found the spirit smooth. The light mint flavour and the grain spice felt nice in the mouth and throat although there was perhaps just a hint of burn as well. The light burn didn’t really concern me as it could easily be that I was misinterpreting grain spice as burn at the cold temperature I was serving the spirit at …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a nice cocktail suggestion,

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Review: Antrim Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 27, 2017

Blushing Lady

Blushing Lady

Antrim Vodka is a ‘destination’ brand exclusive to Liquor Depot and Wine & Beyond stores in Western Canada, produced by Highwood Distillers who are located in High River, Alberta (about 40 Kilometers south of Calgary). The spirit is triple distilled from prairie wheat in a batch style distillation.

As part of the review process, I first sampled the spirit side by side with three rival vodkas (Ketel One, Gray’s Peak, and Lowry Park) where I put all spirits through the paces of my review methodology. I served the spirits chilled where I sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and then sampled each with a variety of foods. I finished the tasting session with some cocktails made from each spirit.

Here is a link to my full review for Antrim Vodka:

Review: Antrim Vodka

“… When I brought my full shot glass to my nose, I sensed very little in the breezes at first. However as the spirit warmed I began to notice light wispy bits of flour and grain spice. There was also a mild hint of citrus zest wandering in the breezes …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my stunning new cocktail, the Blushing Lady.

Chimo!

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Review: Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 6, 2017

okerlund-sam_2960

‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund’s Cocktail

Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka is produced by Goodridge & Williams, an independent craft distilling company located in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). According to the company website, the Vodka is produced from a slow distillation using traditional copper pot-still. I should note that the label on the bottle clarifies this information stating that the distillation process includes distillation through 38 column plates. The spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

I  sampled three other new vodkas in a tasting flight with Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka (Foothills, Tryst, and Provincial Vodka). I served each of the spirits chilled where I sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and then sampled each with a variety of foods. I finished the tasting with some cocktails made from each spirit.

Here is a link to my newest Vodka Review:

Review: Sid’s Handcrafted Vodka

“… I took a cautious sniff at the breezes above the glass and I noticed a touch of creme de fresh on the nose with vanilla pudding and cream of wheat porridge. The impression was subtle but it was quite pleasant. When I took a small sip, those aromatic impressions manifested upon the palate as light flavours of lemon and citrus zest melded with vanilla and some of that cream of wheat porridge …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a mixed drink suggestion, ‘Mean” Gene Okerlund’s Cocktail!

Chimo!

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Review: Foothills Vodka (Gluten Free)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 30, 2017

reverse-vesper-sam_2950Foothills Vodka is produced by Highwood Distillers from selected corn grain to ensure the product remains wheat and gluten-free. The spirit is produced from a batch style distillation, distilled ten times for maximum smoothness and purity.

As part of my review process, I held a Vodka tasting for my friends (the Rum Chums) where we sampled three other new vodkas (Norvegia, Tryst and Provincial) in a tasting flight with the Foothills Vodka. I served the spirits chilled where we sipped them each neat, swallowed shots, and sampled each with a variety of foods. We finished the tasting with some cocktails made from each spirit.

Here is a link to my review for the Foothills Vodka:

Review: Foothills Vodka (Gluten Free)

“… As we sipped, we noticed that the corn-like sweetness was firmer than the nose would have implied and it was accompanied by impressions of black licorice, vanilla and a mild butterscotch. These impression grew quickly as the spirit warmed …”

Please enjoy the review which contains two suggested cocktails which mix Highwood’s Empire Gin with their Foothill’s Vodka: the Vesper, and the Vespered Lime Gimlet.

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