Luksusowa Vodka

I'm not generally a vodka guy. It's not that I don't like vodka, but more along the lines of I don't (or didn't) find it interesting. That is until I recently made a Cajun Martini. My wife and I have likely consumed more vodka in the last 30 days (since first batching this cocktail) than we've drunk in the 12 months before that all together! There's no surprise that inspired me to take a closer look at vodka. First let's define a Cajun Martini. Here's the whole story - https://www.liquor.com/cajun-martini-cocktail-recipe-5218591 The short version to make a 750ml batched cocktail - put 450ml of vodka in a jar with a big, ripe, fresh jalapeno pepper that has been washed and cleanly split in half from stem to end with just one cut. Let the pepper infuse into the vodka for 6 to 8 hours or so. Strain the pepper out and bottle the infused vodka. Add 175ml of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth (this expression has a bit of an oregano note that some folks don't love in a Martini, but it works perfectly in this recipe, imho). Add 100 to 125 ml of distilled water to the batched drink and keep it in the freezer. Serve up in a chilled glass with a spicy pickle as the garnish. So far I've batched this drink with Smirnoff Blue, Sobieski and Luksusowa. To get a better idea of the nature of each vodka I also sampled them neat and neat/freezer-chilled. Here are my thoughts about the Luksusowa On the nose this vodka had a slightly sweet, slightly loamy note. This is a potato vodka and maybe its the power of suggestion, but I got less of a refined chemical vibe from this than I did from the Smirnoff Blue that was also included in this side-by-side tasting. There was an alcohol note to the nose but it wasn't nearly as sharp as the Smirnoff, although I wouldn't call this fragrant by any stretch of the imagination. As with the other vodkas evaluated, the icy cold freezer pour offered up almost no aroma. On the tongue this vodka retained its earthy, slightly sweet character. The mouthfeel was more oily than either the Sobieski or the Smirnoff, particularly in the freezer chilled sample. It had a silky finish and left a slightly sweet note that quickly decayed to a soft bitter finish. I would still consider this neutral but in the same way that alabaster white is still neutral, but not nearly as neutrally sterile as arctic white. My wife chose the Smirnoff as her favorite of the three with the Luksusowa in second place when tasted neat. I chose the opposite and had the Luksusowa as my first choice and the Smirnoff was my second place. When it comes to the Cajun Martini there's a monkey wrench in the gears as we both liked the Sobieski best! More about that in the upcoming review of that brand. I can recommend this vodka and I think this might be the one I'd enjoy most in a "traditional" vodka martini (5:1, dash of orange bitters, garnished with a twist). It is very subtle, but there's a bit of personality there that can make it interesting. Plus its an inexpensive way to compare a potato vodka to a rye vodka, to a multi-grain vodka (and maybe more to come). I'm not going to become a vodka fanatic and I doubt I'll ever have more than a handle or two hanging about for cocktails. That said, I have a renewed reason to at least pay a bit more attention to those bottles; we'll be drinking a lot more vodka as the sweet, vegetal freshness and slight capsaicin heat of the Cajun Martini keeps us entertained poolside for the foreseeable future.

A very cheap polish vodka, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its merits and for the price it's hard to beat the value here. The nose features a bit of charcoal. The palate is starchy and oily, with a bit of the ethanol coming thru. The finish is a bit metallic, with pepper and a bit of a burn. For something as cheap as this, you would expect there to be a good amount of imperfections and while it's not perfect, the metallic notes on the finish are not enough to say it's not worth having around for cocktails at the very least. Plus, for just over $10, the price is hard to beat.

Tasting neat. I know that seems crazy for a cheap bottle of vodka. The nose has a notable lack of ethanol sharpness with an earthy/salty note..like a mineral water. The palette is smooth and round. Rich, full, subtly sweet, slightly musty, with slight drying, bitter, tonic-like finish. I'm sure it's not the best vodka out there, but a potato vodka for this price that is very sippable and interesting to drink, gets a definite boost for value. If you like a gin and tonic, you'll be a fan...everyone else would be quite happy using this as a mixer

I'm a bourbon / rye connoisseur but just a vodka snob. My go to vodka has always been Kettle One, mostly for Bloody Mary's or grapefruit crushes, either Stoli or Finlandia as my backups. I was in a rush a few weeks ago and an older gentleman store owner recommended this vodka, being in a rush I just went with it hoping it was good enough. I'm very impressed. This is really good. I sipped on out neat several times to check myself. It has a surprisingly smooth finish (much netter than Titos) This is my new go to vodka.

A fantastic polish potato vodka that is extremely wallet friendly. A tad rough in the finish but has that great potato vodka mouthfeel and superb neutrality. Slight bitterness on the finish as well but becomes nearly forgotten as you sip. A hidden gem at just $11-14/750ml. I really like it in this vodka martini recipe: 3 oz Luksusowa + 1/2 oz Lillet Blanc + 1 dash of Orange bitters. Stir on ice, strain and drink. Fantastic.

Quite earthy and lightly herbal on the nose. Full-bodied and oily mouthfeel. Palate is relatively neutral, but with a noticeable earthy undertone all the way through that becomes slightly more vegetal toward the finish. Decent burn on the midpalate and the finish that is only slightly softened by a reduction in temperature. 2.25/5.00 – Mediocre (neat)