Premium vodkas might not be worth their price tag

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted May 26th 2007 @ 6:05PM

It is a question I often ask myself when I am sitting in a bar or lounge, about to order a cocktail from the server with a special emphasis on the fact that I'd like [blank] Vodka. Sometimes I choose Ketel One, otherwise it's Absolut (for their Citron). The question is, "Can people really tell the difference in taste between the expensive and cheaper vodkas?"

ABC News wondered the same thing and conducted a taste test to see if people would be able to actually recognize their "favorite" brand of vodka. The testers were all fairly certain that they would. Eben Klemm, the cocktail director for BR Guest (a large restaurant chain) conducted the taste test.

And after all the tests, ranging from tasting premium vodkas straight up, with mixers, etc., the testers could not tell the difference between their beloved Grey Goose and a far more inexpensive brand, In fact, in the test where they drank the vodkas straight, they said Grey Goose was their least favorite!

Does this mean the testers would not order Grey Goose when out? If it's strictly based on taste, it would make sense to save the extra dollars, but there's something about saying "Grey Goose and tonic" rather than "just your plain old generic well vodka, please."

Filed Under: Business, Drink Recipes
Tags: premium vodka, spirits, vodka

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-26-2007 @10:55PM jason t said... I'm willing to believe that premium vodkas don't necessarily deliver better taste. But, I know the cheap stuff tends to result in a bigger headache the next day. That might be worth some extra cash.
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5-26-2007 @11:12PM chris said... This has to be like 5 year old news. Literally.
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5-26-2007 @11:14PM Kiwi Carlisle said... I've never seen the point of an odorless, tasteless spirit, anyway. Bleah. If I'm going to drink booze, I'd rather have something with that has its own flavor to begin with!
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5-27-2007 @12:07PM Rick Dobbs said... I could probably tell the difference between a cheaper vodka and a "premium" one, but could I tell the difference between Grey Goose and Belvedere? Probably not. Throw it in tonic and it matters even less. Maybe in a soda a better vodka might stand out, but I doubt it. Another reason why I never understood the people that ordered Grey Goose and Red Bull, it just doesn't make any sense.
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5-28-2007 @12:51PM Barry said... The New York Times did this kind of taste test a year or two ago and found the best tasting vodka (blind tasting) to be Smirnoff. So like Chris said above, this old news.
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5-29-2007 @11:26AM Scott said... I've tried to tell friends this for years, but a snob is a snob is a snob. They seem to feel better spending more for some reason, even if there's no return on the investment. So, I let them order their Grey Goose and tonic and I order my well vodka and tonic, we both have a great time at the bar, and my wallet goes home significantly thicker. To each his own.
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5-30-2007 @11:48AM ceebee said... I agree with jason t above that cheaper booze brings (a greatly increased chance of) hangovers. Avoiding hangovers much more than taste, keeps me away from cheap liquor, and even more so, (cheap) american beers... And in my humble opinion, Absolut tastes like aftershave, especially compared to a better vodka like Smirnoff, Ketel One, or Grey Goose...

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