Russian Standard Vodka

Russian Standard is, well, a great standard when it comes to reasonably priced vodkas. While it doesn't have anything exciting to offer there's genuinely nothing to hate here either. You can almost view this bottle as being an excellent example of what vodka should be. A vodka standard if you will. The nose is very mild and tame. It has the standard smell of a wheat vodka lazily floating down a sweet, alcohol river. The alcohol presence is there but just barely. This doesn't sting the nostrils. Just gentle ethanol scent exists, a medium to support the sweetness of the wheat. Let it sit for a bit and a spicy citrus zest begins to emerge as well, tucked even further away in the background. Sweetness continues once imbibed. It's not the upfront sweetness of corn vodka nor is it the distinct bready sweet of other wheat based vodkas. It's a happy, pleasant in-between; a compromise between those two extremes that's happy to be pleasant in how unassuming it is. Only when you swirl it around in your mouth do you get more defined vanilla and bread flavors. Otherwise it's an undefined, almost neutral sweetness. On the finish you get a some of that citrusy zest from the aroma and a bit of a spicy pepper "kick." For a vodka it's pretty muted but it's noticeable from the previous sweetness. That's not to say it's out of place. It rounds out the experience quite nicely. Texture wise it also strikes a balance between oiliness and being watery, which fits nicely with the rest of the experience. I only have two complaints about this vodka. The first is that it's perhaps a bit too standard and nondescript. It just isn't exciting to drink by itself. But for the price point that's a mild concern especially in a category that means to be neutral. Second complaint is that it does have a bit of a burn going down which makes the product feel just a bit rough around the edges. It is *not* a burn that makes it undrinkable. Rather, just a burn that reminds you there are better products out there--for a higher price. This is a great vodka to use for smooth mixing and as a baseline against which to judge all other vodkas.

#2 in the vodka lineup. The nose is both peppery and a little sweet, a little more "brooding" than a typical vodka, if that makes sense. The palate is surprisingly full, with a pleasantly oily mouthfeel, punctuated with vanilla and wheat flavors. After a moment, the initial flavor subsides and becomes more neutral. A creaminess comes through at the end with a sharp note (probably wheat related), and a little dryness and heat. This placed #2 on my list because it really is the "standard" of vodka: neutral enough to pair with anything, and interesting enough to taste, yet not eccentric. It is also under $20, and doesn't pretend to be something that only nobles should drink. You can clean a flask with this stuff without feeling guilty. Have I ever used it to sterilize a wound? Of course I have. Who hasn't? It is highly-distilled "nothing" juice, further matured in absolutely nothing. But it does its job well WHILE exemplifying what typical notes found in vodka should be, and that makes it successful in my opinion. It does help to propagate that annoying (and completely false) anecdote about Dmitri Mendeleev "inventing" 80 proof liquor, but I'll let that one slide if it means that more vodka drinkers will Google "Dmitri Mendeleev". Character: Vanilla and pepper Smoothness: 2, Overall: 3.5

Nose - chalky grain, black pepper, lemon zest, mineral water, dry herbal notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - chalky grain, black pepper, coriander, lemon and orange zest, mineral water, vanilla, herbal and floral notes, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short and slightly viscous with chalky grain, black pepper, and dry herbal flavors. This is an exceedingly neutral, yet robust vodka. I would compare it most to Stoli, but I don’t think it’s quite as good. The nose here is quintessential vodka, with the most notable qualities being a very grain-forward presence and a stronger pepper note than most of the competition. Again the palate resembles Stoli, but it’s definitely more austere, with less fruitiness and grassiness. This is good, no nonsense vodka. It hits all the right notes without adding any fluff to the experience. The mouthfeel is full and the finish is clean. I’m going to notch this above the pack, but just barely. I’d rather drink Stoli, which also happens to be $3 less a bottle. And I’d rather drink Jim Beam Original most days as well.

Rating: 14/23 N: Not much on the nose. A little sweet and a little alcohol. P: Sweet with a hint of fruit (orange and lemon?). There's a sweet wheat flavor and some pepper. It's sweeter and less rich than Ocean, but not as smooth. It isn't as harsh as Beluga Noble though and most of the burn seems to be pepper. It's a kind of zippy and clean vodka flavor. I like it pretty well, but flavor-wise I would take both Ocean and Beluga over this generally. It's also almost as harsh as Beluga. It isn't as smooth as Kirkland's French vodka, but I like the flavor here better than Kirkland's funk. F: Pepper, citrus, and some alcohol bitterness. Clean. - Conclusion - Overall, this seems like a solid vodka. It's very generic, but perhaps in a good way? It could use some touch-up on its rough edges, but it's very solid. I think it's in the Kirkland and Beluga quality range - not as good as Ocean or Chopin. Beluga and Kirkland were both 14s, so this is going to be a 14 too. I could imagine going down to a 13 if anything, but I think it's a pretty solid 14.

An entry level vodka, that holds its own against some of the pricier options. I wouldn't necessarily reach for this one over say Sobieski or Absolut, but it's decent enough. I get a bit of ethanol and lemon peel on the nose. The first sips are very smooth, with some wheat, pepper and a touch of sweetness. The finish is short and has a slight burn, not that off-putting. If it wasn't for the price, I would probably rate this a bit higher, but frankly Absolut is just a better vodka all-around so while this isn't bad, it just doesn't make sense to get this over that bottle.

In Russia you never water down your Vodka, this means you cannot use ice to chill it. As a result, it is common practice to leave the bottle in the freezer overnight before opening and to chill the glasses used an hour before. These were all observed before the bottle was opened, the results were a Vodka that went down smoother than water and was as refreshing as ice in Arizona during August. Extremely palatable and pairs perfectly with Orange Juice or Cranberry Juice, 100% of course, never cocktail.