Finally something that we probably should have reviewed a while ago considering our coverage of vodka. Yes it’s the vodka you see with a name almost synonymous with top-shelf. It’s what the bars carry, what you see in youtube and rap videos, and it’s what we’ve always thought of as – eh I’d rather have Hammer + Sickle. So then finally sitting down and scoring does it hold up?
Honestly it does rather well, I mean sure it has its missteps, but this really is a good vodka. What we have to stress though is that it certainly is not mankind’s gift to world. I’m not sure if we’ve said this, but in our minds we’ve always thought of Grey Goose as a good vodka, but not a good vodka for Russians.
I know this is going to sound like the cheapness of post-college-kids budgets, but for an everyday vodka this isn’t what you’d get. And if you want some top-shelf awesomeness for friends that come over – this still isn’t what you get. Sure in most cases going to a friend’s house you will find this as their top-shelf, but they’re probably not among our readers.
You want to know where the best place for this is? Bars. Considering the level at bars and restaurants is either Absolut/Smirnoff or this? I’d make that choice all day long – I don’t care if it costs me 1 or 5 dollars more. This is what you drink when you go out with friends, and to be honest that’s totally okay. Also for double class order this in a vodka martini. Chilling it with rocks and the splash of vermouth makes this vodka sing.
What they say: “In the fine epicurean tradition of France comes a vodka of uncommon brilliance. Grey Goose Vodka is distilled from French wheat and is made with spring water from Gensac that is filtered though champagne limestone. The expertise of the Maitre de Chai ensures an unparalleled smoothness and exceptional taste.
The other side was in French which has too many accent marks to repeat here.”
Taste: 8.0 – Superior in taste. Makes you happy to drink it. It just goes in really nicely – not a flat tasteless way either, a bit creamy.
Aftertaste: 6.33 – Justice felt it was mediocre, but the rest felt it had a wonderfully nice character, and the long aftertaste that stays with you is great.
Burn/Smooth: 5.17 – What a mediocre burn for a superior taste. It is a vodka burn, which is surprising for it.
Aroma: 6.5 – It has a tough burn to our noses but it has a creamy finish that you can catch. Pleasant.
Honesty: 6.33 – Frosted glass and cork on bottle is a plus. Overall shape and color is nice as well. France is a minus as being that flamboyant and creepy is not good. Pepe Le Pew is their icon and he rapes cats…not good. But overall gets a higher grade from us due to gentlemanliness.
Mixability: 8.06
w/ Rocks: 7.67 – Kills the burn altogether. Damn good sipping vodka.
Screwdriver: 8.0 – Adding bacon to the screwdriver makes it saltier. It is a great screwdriver overall even without it.
Vodka Martini: 8.5 – This is the way you’re supposed to drink this – the James Bond way.
Buffalo Note: We didn’t have stuff for Russians – I know sad. We’ve had Grey Goose Russians before though, and frankly it’s why we prefer H+S, because despite it’s good qualities straight it makes a mid-level Russian, not bad – just nothing great.
Value: 6.33 – A mid level price for a good screwdriver and great taste. Buffalo disagrees that Snow Queen and Russian Standard are better buys at this price level, and that value is low here.
Google Shop Average: $26
Website: http://greygoose.com/
Reviewer Scores:
William Henri Neve the IV: 7.5
Justice: 7.0
BuffaloJern: 6.5
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 46.72/70 |+| Metric Average: 6.67 |+| Reviewer Average: 7.0
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Final Thoughts:
A good vodka for a good price. It makes you want to drink it. The French know how to make a classy vodka. Never thought I would say the French are good at anything.
