This vodka angers me, and if you want to know why it’s because this vodka is basically France making a lie. And there are two things I hate: liars, and light beer – which is water that’s lying about being beer. No I’m not saying that France can’t make a good vodka – hell with all the brandy and sacred water they go on about – it should work out fine.
I’m angry though because France in no fricken way has polar bears. If you are Russia or Canada – you can put some polar bears wrestling around on your vodka. This though would be like a Japanese whisky company putting an American buffalo on their bottle.
What they Say: “Crystal clear vodka 7 times distilled made from 100% French wheat and purified spring water from region of Grande Champagne.”
Taste: 8.0 – For those few brief seconds I pretty much taste nothing – which is a good thing.
Aftertaste: 6.0 – Here we get a bit of that vodka taste, but it’s mingled with a bit of creaminess so it’s not bad.
Burn/Smooth: 6.0 – There’s a twinge of burn – typically at a later stage, but it’s very mild, and otherwise goes down quite smooth.
Aroma: 7.0 – That smells like a nice and creamy vodka.
Honesty: 3.5 – It has a cork, and there are polar bears on it. However as I’ve said I feel like this is some french jerk lying to me, and lying is not cool.
Mixability: 7.0
White Russian: 8.0 – Well at least the French can make a good Russian. (Wait what)
Vodka Tonic: 6.0 – It makes an otherwise good gin and tonic.
Value: 4.5 – It’s in that range where it’s not so good that it’s worth the price (and often a bit more), and it’s not cheap enough to just be a good value.
Google Shop Average: $23
Website: http://balinoffvodka.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 6.5
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 42/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.0 |+| Reviewer Average: 6.5
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: I just wish the French hadn’t lied to me and figured it was okay to use Polar Bears.
Balinoff was Russian /French admiral who went in the late 20th to North Pole, thus polar bears. Artdeco label from the 30th.
Balinoff was former Russian white army admiral , who moved to France and took part in exploration of Arlctica and Antarctica.
THERE IS A POLAR BEAR so sad caged in but yes France has a polar bear