Ex-Wife Dept: Polish Vodka

F. Paul Pacult calls gin "...the best of white spirits for cocktails and my favorite overall white spirit." That's saying something. Gin has all the finesse and sophistication that vodka never will. Best yet, true world class gins can be purchased in the $20 range. A very few valid wodkas (and Everclear) appear here!
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Capn Jimbo
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Ex-Wife Dept: Polish Vodka

Post by Capn Jimbo »

About ex-wives and vodka, there should be little to say...


Why? Because both are tasteless and forgetable? Or should be. On the other hand the east Europeans do know their vodka and reject our deballed mixtures of pure alcohol and water to make - by law yet - a tasteless, odorless spirit we call vodka. Nope, their version retains just a bit of flavor and that's the way they like it. And this flavor is not added but results from its parent raw material, often rye.

Two excellent examples: Wodka and Sobieski. What's Wodka? It's the Polish word for vodka, but it's also a brand, an experiment designed to turn Sidney Frank's marketing on its head. While Sydney worked hard to convince people that his cheapest possible water and alcohol mixture was actually a super-premium based on brilliant marketing, the Wodka people decided to actually tell the truth...


Sydney Franks: "It's only water and alcohol"


That truth - is that vodka is really quite easy and inexpensive to make well, and that a really fine vodka needn't cost much more than Grave's or Everclear Grain Alcohol. Thus while Grey Goose came in a bottle that costs way more than its contents, Wodka comes in the cheapest possible bottle, right down to a label that looks like it was produced on a Russian xerox machine that was low on brown toner.

While Grey Goose sells for super-premium prices, Wodka is available for $8.95 per 750. Is it any good? Of course it is. Sue Sea actually prefers it in her martinis. Wodka's goal was to sell an authentic and well made Polish vodka but at the lowest possible price, including the simplest possible presentation, to the extent that their vodka - "Wodka in Polish - isn't even named.

It's just Wodka, nothing more or less. Now Sobieski has succumbed to a bit more marketing, so sells for more, but not by much: just $10.95. As for ratings, even the Beverage Tasting Institute was impressed:

Sobieski got a more than credible "95", while "Wodka" scored a solid "90". These are very good scores (that we'd reverse) and absolutely right.


The Reviews
"Clear. Spicy aromas of star anise, cream, minerals and powdered sugar follow through to a round, silky entry and a smooth off-dry medium-to-full body with a long, lingering whipped cream, spice, rye dough, and sweet citrus fade with virtually no heat. Great subtle, pure, and spicy rye flavors with a lively texture and superb smoothness. An incredible value in a world of high priced vodkas."
"Clear. Aromas of toasty pastry and custard with a supple, glycerous, off-dry medium-to-full body and a creamy, powdered sugar, light pepper, and mineral finish. A clean, nicely made vodka that is a very good value.
Now I'll leave it to you to determine which review belongs to which vodka, but no matter. Both were properly deemed "best buys" and they should be.

The only better value is my own: "Capn Jimbo's Penultimate Cheep but Good Vodka", made exclusively from Graves Grain Alcohol and Walmart's Distilled Water, carefully blended, stirred twice and allowed to marry for at least 24 hours or until consumed, whichever comes first. Think I'm kiddin? Check this!
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Sun Sep 14, 2014 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Just for fun...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Just for fun...


...and inspired by the drivel above, Sue Sea and I decided to do a half-arsed, semi-official tasting of both Sobieski ($10.95) and Wodka ($8.95), both Polish and both made from rye.

Read on...


Wodka

Although you'll never find anyone luxuriating over a snifter of vodka, we gave these vodkas the whole treatment. To begin, Sue Sea found the nose revealing a bit of grain, and "something vegetal - celery?", and on reflection a tiny touch of licorice or anisette. I found the Wodka edgy, vegetal and revealing of its alcohol.

The palate - and for vodka it's the taste that counts - was surprisingly pleasant. As Sue Sea so well puts it, sipping vodka may be more about texture for most - "like a very light olive oil" - leading to a refreshing ripe slice of a skinned cucumber. A bit hard to define, but nice, Her midpalate revealed a growing spicy heat - perhaps a light clove - moving to a finish of a mixed black and white pepper.

I found a lightly sweet, smooth grain, oily and moving into a light anise/licorice and with a lovely b/w peppery finish, emphasis white pepper.

Have you ever dipped a piece of a fresh French baguette in a lightly peppered virgin olive oil? The finish is indeed peppery but not too hot, but just enough to let you know it's there. That's the rye. Although Wodka's nose and palate are at odds, it's the taste and feel that count, and Wodka delivers it beautifully.

Nice.


Sobieski

Sue Sea found Sobieski's nose more sassy, more gin-like with a juniper effect, light anise/licorice and even a tiny touch of ripe banana. Again she found a nice oily texture, a bare hint of deeper orange, but quickly taken over by a growing spicy heat - clove or ginger - which took over like those tiny "Red Hots" candies for a glowing tongue white pepper and clove finish.

My evaluation was simpler. Lovely opening nose - a light sweet spice and cream but as for the palate: "...dry and drier, raw heat".

Unlike the Wodka we had no additional notes, and we both gave a clear edge (pun intended) to the Wodka. This does not mean however, that both don't mix well as both make a killer martini. Although further "research" will be done, we both heartily agree that the Wodka clean, fresh and smooth oily presentation works wonderfully with a dry martini and its ubiquitous olives. It's even rather sippable.

Wodka is vodka, not so pure but just as simple and... wonderful.
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

The first thing to go is short term memory...


Sue Sea likes her dry martinis. In the beginning her favorite was with Plymouth Gin, then a Holland style, then finally moving to a Wodka, dirty dry martini with olive juice. Me? I find vodka boring - but only in comparison to Plymouth. Still, the Wodka - being a Eastern Euro style (which unlike America's tasteless, colorless shite) - retains just a touch of flavor. Polish rye based vodkas are lovely.

We'd found a 2-for-1 on Wodka - two 1.75ml's for $18.95 - that's 3.5 liters (or 4-1/2 750's for $4.25 each). Doesn't get any better! Well after some months, these were exhausted so I ran out to buy another 1.75, but once again - forgetting we'd already done it - bought a 750 of Sobieski for a "taste comparison".


Guess what?

Our impressions hadn't changed from a sipping standpoint - a good thing as it gives you confidence to know your palate is repeatable. Still - it would be instructive to try a couple martinis for an A/B...
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Luksusowa Potato Vodka


Turns out Sue Sea and I are not the only folk who find low shelf Wodka and Sobieski brand vodka well done. BTI rated Sobieski a 95 or 96 and "Best Buy", and Wodka brand vodka just a few points behind at "90" and also a "Best Buy". If you read the mini-reviews above, you'll see why.

However, both of these are rye based while Poland claims the very best vodkas are potato-based. While the former sell for around or under $10, potato-based Luksusowa (luk-sue-SO-va) can be had for about $14. To the mini-review:

Sue Sea:
"I've come to really enjoy both Wodka and Sobieski, with a tiny nod to Wodka for my favorite movie-watching drink, a nice dry Martini - sometimes dirty (olive juice, Angostura), but more and more clean and classic. Both are actually sippable as well.

The Luksusowa bottle is really quite nice, almost architectural that resembles a tall, classic building. The clear square bottle with the clear molded in year "1928" and "Polish Luxury" is simple, classic and sophisticated, understated.

Oh and I should add that we taste our vodkas at room temperature to capture all possible the aromas and flavors. I must say that Jim got me interested in the idea of its potato origin. The first nose reminds me of the cleanliness of celery or lettuce, but accompanied by a kind of very light lemon furniture polish. Mind you these are all very subtle, as the Luksusowa is not as nearly aroma forward as the Wodka or Sobieski. Behind these was a wisp of anisette.

The early palate was very interesting to me. I was immediate struck by clean but slightly oily texture, like a very light lemon oil, made with a good extra virgin olive oil. All the notes were very high, light, and lovely. It was not sweet, it was not sour - at first - but after reflection I began to noice the clean light sweetness that is indeed there. The background anisette was not carried forward and I was actually glad for that. It was wonderful in the aroma, but would not blend well with the palate.

The Luksusowa has a great texture - think of mashed potatoes with a bit of melted butter, but blended to the lightest possible consistency, but with complete clarity. It's as though you strained these mashed potatoes by squeezing them in a very, very fine cheescloth to obtain the smooth, clear product in this bottle.

All led to a surprisingly extended ginger and fine white pepper finish." To me, Luksusowa is notable for two things - its clear, clean taste and a notable sweetness missing from both Wodka brand and Sobieski. It is simply delicious.
Moi: The eastern European wodkas are claimed by both the Russians and Poles and to me anyway, the Polish case appeals to me (regardless of my ex-devil, er wife). And even though the Poles drink more rye-based wodkas, the potato-based are still regarded as better. With a claim like that, you know I'm there.

Luksusowa opens with an exceptionally clean and crisp vegetal sweetness, with perhaps just the barest hint of an old man's after shave splash, and just like Sue Sea I too found that distant anisette. I should add that the aroma is nicely subtle, not nearly as forward as the rye based Polish vodkas (above). In the palate this wodka presented more as a very lightly sweet, smooth and creamy texture. Emerging from this gentle entry, this "flavored texture" continued with the impression of yes - potato - and exactly in the liquified form as described by Sue Sea. Actually I got this first and she simply stole it from me - women's privelege, lol. Almost imperceptibly a nice finely ground black pepper finish emerges, lingers and slowly fades leaving just a hint of that impeccable light sweetness that encourage another sip.

Thus, Luksusowa is eminently sippable. At this point, Sue Sea requested a martini and we agreed that this wodka was perfect for a clean and completely classic martini - 4-to-1 with M&R Dry Vermouth, no Angostura, no olive juice, just a spear of green olives. This wodka is brilliant - clean and subtle, creamy, sophisticated and smooth which works perfectly on its own in a simple classic vodka martini. It is dangerously drinkable and I mean exactly that, in the same way as Ron Matusalem 15 or Santa Teresa Anejo. You know, be sure to have a designated driver.

No scores yet, but Luksusowa is very, very good - our best so far.
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