It’s tasks like these that put phrases into your mind you never thought would be there. Phrases like ‘virgin potatoes’. However, you should be less concerned that something is happening to your regular potatoes as this simply means before they have formed skin they are mashed and distilled into this. A fact which has some benefits, but maybe could have also benefited from being in the ground more.
We’re not fans of the overall – nearly pervasive amount of starch this new potato made beverage brings forward, but it’s not our core fault with this. No that has more to do with the average price because while it does shift wildly in price, it seems you are paying quite a premium for what is linguistically and literally – small potatoes.
What they Say: “The first vodka ever based on Virgin New Potatoes, i.e. harvested before the potatoes start developing skin. Approximately eight kilos of these Virgin New Potatoes are used for each bottle. Karlsson’s Gold is a blend from a selection of Virgin New Potatoes, all harvested from June to September at Cape Bjare.
The finest Virgin New Potatoes are carefully selected at their prime and refined to distill this unique vodka.
In the southern part of Sweden, facing the winds from the North Sea lies Cape Bjare – Home of the golden potatoes.”
Taste: 8.0 – It’s sweet, there’s starch, and it’s a bit creamy – while all still being light and refreshing. Simply fantastic.
Aftertaste: 4.0 – Then for some reason, the potatoes rise and that starch with the burn to accompany it just ruins the whole affair. It’s not as awful, but considering how it started…
Burn/Smooth: 4.0 – That has what can be delightfully called an ‘after burner’ in that it’s only after it’s gone down does a weird burning sensation and ugly bluhtast arise despite the earlier enjoyment.
Aroma: 3.5 – There is some wheat like and creamy elements there. However, overall it smells like – paper mache? It really does have a sort of beige glue like smell too it, in such an odd way. It, therefore, is not desirable in any way, so while not being an attack on the senses it is off-putting.
Honesty: 7.0 – From now on the only way to think of these so-called virgin potatoes is that they have too much damn starch when making vodka and might be better off as fingerlings roasted. The look and design and even bottle top are unique giving it a positive here. Also, the adherration to potatoes is at least – honest.
Mixability: 5.5
W/ Rocks: 5.0 – Considering how the burn/aftertaste ruined this it felt relevant to try it just on rocks. While it solves some of the burns so much of that flavor is just starch.
Vodka Tonic: 4.5 – It’s okay, a bit weird and you sadly get too much of the vodka.
White Russian: 7.0 – It finally works well, and it’s here. Yet because that massive starch flavor continues to be at the center this is still not the ideal cocktail of lore, but it is damn tasty.
Value: 0.5 – That is simply FAR too much. We paid nearly 3/5’s of that price, and we’ve seen that it varies, but as an average of 33 – NOPE. This would be fine at 13 dollars, and okay at 18, but 33 is way the fuck off.
Google Shop Average: $33
Website: http://www.hotalingandco.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.5
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Metric Score: 32.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.64 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.5
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Final Thoughts: Our reviewing score here differs as we did not pay that much money, and like most spirits on here once we’ve already paid there’s only remorse instead of anger over what could have been. What this has been being a fine mixer provided you have something that can take away some of the starch flavors, but will ultimately be a forgettable vodka – lived on purely by looking at a small potato and wondering if it’s a virgin.
