Review: Chacha Premium Canadian Vodka   (84/100)
a review by Chip Dykstra
Published January 12, 2024

Chacha Premium Canadian Vodka is the creation of Will Webb, and is a 100% Canadian Owned Company who distill their vodka in Toronto, Ontario. According to Will it began with the positivity of enjoyment of being with the people he cared about.

” The summer of 2015, while boating with friends, I said “CHACHA” to them just for fun. They laughed and loved the expression, and naturally began to say it. All of a sudden, thousands of people enthusiastically said “CHACHA”, and people that I had never met before. To this day, they CHACHA!

From that moment, Will decided to build his vodka business around the love and positivity of that experience with his friends.

The vodka he produces is six time distilled from Canadian grain, and produced by the Toronto Distilling Group. (Toronto Distillery Group Inc. is a Toronto based distillery that has been operating since 2015. They produce their own lineup of spirits, as well as Private Label brands.)

In the fall of 2023 I was sent a bottle of Chacha Premium Canadian Vodka to taste and review. The spirit is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume.

The First Impression 8.5/10

My bottle of Chacha is shown to the left. It is a tall slender bottle with a long neck and frosted exterior. Frosted bottles always look nicer than clear bottles and the synthetic cork that tops the presentation adds a touch more class as well. The front label is perhaps a little minimalist and does not prove much information; however, the back label gives us a small story about the spirit to pique our interest and proudly shows us a colourful  Canadian flag to highlight the lineage of the spirit.

The First Sip 16.5/20

I had placed the spirit into the freezer compartment of my refrigerator the night before tasting it, and when I checked its temperature it was just above zero degrees Celsius. This is where I like to begin when I taste Vodka.

At that temperature the spirit demonstrated light wisps of lemon and lime aromas in the breezes above the glass with vague hints of mint as well. When I sipped, there was a light sweetness apparent, and the mild impressions of the nose translated well across the palate. It tasted nice especially as the flavour impressions were very mild as they should be when we taste vodka.

I did sample the spirit later (when it had warmed to room temperature) and then I tasted a much firmer impression of citrus and mint with grain spices apparent now as well. There was also a mildly bitter, light metallic aftertaste which seemed out of place. Almost all vodka spirits breaks down as we allow them to reach room temperature, and so I was not unduly concerned with the these experiences. My suggestion at this point is that Chacha should be well chilled for best enjoyment if it is served neat.

Taking a Shot 17/20

Many people like to shoot vodka, and so I like to replicate this experience by taking a full swallow of the spirit as well. When I shoot vodka, I like the spirit to be smooth with no burn or strange aftertaste.

I found when I sampled Chacha ‘shot style’ (just out of my freezer compartment) the spirit was indeed smooth with only a light bite of grain spice which was accompanied by a pleasant mild  sweetness through the finish. When well chilled, taking a shot is very pleasant.

As the spirit warmed, I found that the grain-like spiciness in the finish increased; however, there was not necessarily any appreciable alcohol burn. I did however taste a light vegetal bitterness at the end of the swallow, and the flavours of lemon and lime had intensified somewhat. Overall however, I am quite pleased with Chacha served as a shooting vodka.

Out for Dinner 16.5/20

My tasting group and I like to serve vodka with a variety of foods using the spirit as a palate cleanser which helps us enjoy the gastronomic experience more thoroughly. A good vodka will cleanse the palate between samples of different foods allowing you to enjoy the different flavours more completely.

For this review, I sampled Chacha with a tray of sour dough bread and cheese, some salt and pepper chicken wings, a slice of pepperoni pizza, and a spicy version of Italian  Zuppa Tuscana (soup). The results were somewhat mixed.  With the bread and cheese I found the spirit seemed to lessen the experience (I think that the light metallic aftertaste I noted when sipping the spirit was the cause). However, I really enjoyed saltier and spicier foods which I think were enhanced by the grain spice I noted in the finish when I was sampling ‘shot style’ earlier.

I found that while the vodka remained well chilled the food pairings were the most enjoyable. It was as the spirit warmed that metallic aftertaste began to impact the bread and cheese offerings. I hope I am not overstating the effect, Chacha vodka is enjoyable, however when comparing it to the very best vodkas I have tasted it falters slightly as it warms in the glass.

Cocktail Hour 25.5/30

The destiny of most vodka consumed is to be served in a mixed drink of some sort. For this reason this portion is weighed more heavily than the others. And, here in the cocktail realm is where Chacha shines. In fact, I think the entire spectrum mixed drinks is available to Chacha Vodka, from the classic Vodka Martini to more complicated libations like the more contemporary Cosmopolitan.I would lean towards Gimlet style cocktails where the light grainy spiciness in the finish can work with the citrus to best effect.

To that end, I mixed one of my own creations, a Gimlet inspired libation I have dubbed, The Emissary. It was (as I suspected) really good!  If you are interested in the recipe, I have shared it below.

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Final Score 84/100

A good to very good vodka (best when chilled) and one which works extremely well in the cocktail realm!

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Vodka Reviews.

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Suggested Serving

The Emissary

1 1/2 oz Chacha Premium Canadian Vodka
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
3/8 oz fresh squeezed Lime Juice
1/4 oz fresh squeezed Grapefruit Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Citrus Peel (pith removed)

Add Chacha Vodka, Citrus Juices and Sugar Syrup, into a metal cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the sides of the shaker begin to frost
Strain into a cocktail glass
Garnish with Citrus Peel
Enjoy!

If  you are interested in more of my cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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You may (loosely) interpret my score as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing Vodka.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again for cocktails only.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this Vodka in shots, although cocktails are preferable.
85-89    Excellent!  Shots or cocktails!
90-94    You may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.