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Grey Goose Cooks Competitors
in Taste-Off
The French don't just make the best wine. They also distill the finest vodka, according to our panel of tasters.
Our judges were taken by Grey Goose's discreet nose, its light, berry-like palate and smooth finish, giving it our top billing.
There were two surprises: The runner-up in our flavored vodka competition, the modestly-priced Kranberi, was outdone only by Stoli's enduring Ohranj brand. And the worst performers in both categories represented some of the best-known, if not best-marketed brands.
We were also impressed by the strong showing from some of the more obscure vodkas -- particularly Tito's, an American product that we've never seen an ad for.
Our panel concluded that when it comes to vodka, neither price nor marketing is a valid indicator of the product's quality. In fact, our advice is to stay away from the major brands when looking for a quality vodka.
Here are this month's results for non-flavored vodkas:
| Rank | Brand | Price | Score | Taste |
| 1 | Grey Goose | $24 | 99 | Berries |
| 2 | Luksusova | $20 | 97 | Vanilla |
| 3 | Mezzaluna | $39 | 96.5 | Citrus |
| 4 | Tito's | $18 | 95 | Woodsy |
| 5 | Krolewska | $20 | 94 | Vanilla and Lemon |
| 6 | Chopin | $30 | 93 | Flowery |
| 7 | Cristall | $20 | 92.5 | Caramel |
| 8 | Burnett's | $8 | 92 | Light |
| 9 | Belvedere | $30 | 91.5 | Rosemary |
| 10 | Finlandia | $22 | 90 | Breezy |
| 11 | Skyy | $14 | 88 | Pepper |
| 12 | Boru | $23 | 87 | Breathtaking |
| 13 | Ketel One | $24 | 84 | Sea Spray |
| 14 | Tanqueray | $20 | 80 | Herbal |
| 15 | Smirnoff | $13 | 77 | Anitseptic |
| 16 | Absolut | $16 | 75 | Fire |
Here are this month's results for flavored
vodkas:
| Rank | Brand | Price | Score | Taste |
| 1 | Stoli Ohranj | $16 | 96 | Orange Fizz |
| 2 | Kranberi | $8 | 94 | Dry Fruit |
| 3 | Bison Grass | $18 | 93 | Butter and Vanilla |
| 4 | Boru Orange | $23 | 92.5 | Orange |
| 5 | Finlandia Cranberry | $16 | 91 | Strawberry Candy |
| 6 | Boru Citrus | $23 | 89 | Lemon |
| 7 | Absolut Mandarin | $20 | 88 | Creamsickle |
| 8 | Zhitomirskaya | $12 | 84 | Herb |
| 9 | Smirnoff Citrus Twist | $10 | 81 | Lemon |
| 10 | Gordon's Citrus | $8 | 77 | Lemon Lime Soda |
The editors of Cocktail.com would like to
thank the manufacturers of the aforementioned vodkas for allowing us to
evaluate their products. The following
brands declined to participate: Absolut, Belvedere, Chopin, Krolewska,
Smirnoff, and Stoli (non-flavored);
Absolut, Gordon's, Kranberi, Smirnoff, and Zhitomirskaya (flavored).
