It has been a long, long time since we had a certain New Zealand vodka (42 Below) which did not score very well here. Its companion does slightly better, but not by much. The saving grace here is their brevity and their cocktails because as a whole this vodka feels cheap and tastes cheap.
It does provide some solace that maybe someone in NZ can actually get it right, and we’ve just yet to find it. For a moment though let’s try and ignore the Eurotrash look and ask – why the hell would you name a product after a broken shed? Even if it’s significant – why? But we digress.
What they Say: “Distilled from New Zealand whey made with New Zealand Spring Water”
Taste: 5.0 – It’s fairly neutral only a bit of grain added to the party at first
Aftertaste: 3.0 – it’s like you drink this and it’s fine and then you take a breath and BAM vodka breath. Some of the flavors from the taste continue, but overall it’s a lot of basic vodkas. THat cheap vodka taste though just lingers in your mouth and nose – not great.
Burn/Smooth: 4.0 – There is a burn there, but aside from the lingering aspects on other body parts this doesn’t go down horribly all things considered. Smooth it ain’t though.
Aroma: 4.0 – It’s not horrible, but it very much gets worse the closer and the more you smell. There’s no herb or grass or cream to save you. It’s just that vodka/polish smell. It’s saving grace is how almost middling it is.
Honesty: 6.0 – Thankfully on the text, they have held back. With regard to the bottle, the frosted labeling and the front/back mirage for the shed WHICH DOESN’T EVEN LOOK BROKEN is really hard to judge. So many other vodkas pull this inane see-through crap, and it’s a bit sad to see New Zealand follow suit; however, given some other examples – could be worse.
Mixability: 6.0
Vodka Tonic: 5.0 – It’s okay. It’s not great, it’s not bad. It’s just okay.
White Russian: 7.0 – This makes a pretty damn good white Russian, and that’s a thankful boon to this vodka.
Value: 4.5 – That’s not crazy out of the realm of quality, but this is more on the side of subpar until you start mixing. Overall this is about normal if just a little too much.
Google Shop Average: $26
Website: https://brokenshed.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 4.5
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Metric Score: 32.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.64 |+| Reviewer Average: 4.5
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Final Thoughts: This got a little higher purely because it works well in a heavily mixed cocktail despite the misgivings of it when neat. It is however not something we could recommend you ever buy, and like so many of the things on this site – that’s the death knell. It’s irrelevant whatever scores you get if there’s not a nice unique aspect, a gimmick, a great cocktail, or a cheap price – who cares?
Your negative review of this vodka is something I must disagree with. After trying every “premium” vodka on the market, Broken Shed is the best I’ve ever imbibed. I understand that the quality of a particular spirit is in the “taste buds” of the beholder, but IMO this vodka is a league above other top-shelf vodkas. I haven’t searched your website, but I hope you don’t consider Grey Goose to be better than Broken Shed; Grey Goose is okay, but it’s the most highly overrated vodka on the market (I admit that Grey Goose has had a very effective marketing campaign, convincing the masses that it is the best). Ketel One is really good (probably my 2nd favorite) and is a close second to Shed, but falls slightly short of the smoothness and taste of Broken Shed. Absolut is also a quality vodka, but still can’t quite compete with Broken Shed on an overall basis.
Although I strongly disagree with your review of Broken Shed, I do respect your opinion, and I know that any assessment of a particular spirit is subjective.
Respectfully, Dave.