Wheatley Vodka

Rating: 14/23 I got this hearing that it was good and thinking (wrongly) based on the name that it was all wheat. Hopefully the wheat has a big impact in here. N: Sweet at first, then spiciness hits. A bit of an earthy graininess as well, though it's not really funky. The sweetness is sugary. I'm really digging this nose. It's got more going on than most vodkas and its notes are good. P: This burns more than I'd hoped. It's definitely harsh. Not super harsh, but kind of. Certainly not as smooth as Chopin Wheat or Ocean. It doesn't have a great flavor, but it isn't bad. Pretty bland. More bland that Kirkland French Vodka. The alcohol really comes through and it's the main flavor. Some hints of lemon and spicy grain notes. Some sugary sweetness and definite generic bitterness. No earthy notes, unless the bitterness is just one boring one. F: Continued burn with alcohol bitterness. Some faint remnants of the grain and lemon. I'd love to attribute that bitterness to earth rather than alcohol, but if it is an earth flavor, it isn't a very good one. A little bit of sugary alcohol on the long finish, - Conclusion - The flavor here isn't that great, but it's solid for a vodka. The burn is what really gets me: this is a fairly harsh vodka. I struggle to drink it a little bit. Ocean Organic (16/23) is definitely better with its smoothness. I also like the Ocean's sweetness more. This has more going on, but the Ocean's core flavor does it for me more. It's a tough call in this department. Kirkland French Vodka (14/23) has a funkier flavor with more fusel to it. And maybe some cinnamon too? This is also a little harsher, though perhaps some of that has to do with this bottle being more recently opened. I can only hope. I think that this is pretty close to the Kirkland in quality. I started thinking that this was a little better, then I thought they were about even, now I think that this is a bit inferior. I think I'll give them both 14s for now. This is certainly poor value, though I'm not feeling substantial regret. This will be a good one to rinse my bottles with once I run out of the Kirkland stuff.

Tasted neat at room temperature side-by-side with Kirkland French Vodka. I'm not a vodka fan, certainly not a vodka snob. This started because my wife and I really like a Cajun Martini (https://www.liquor.com/cajun-martini-cocktail-recipe-5218591) pool-side and I needed to buy vodka. Naturally I wanted to know which is the best to get and that's how I started tasting mid-shelf vodkas. ,On ithe nose there is a very slight sugary cake-frosting note to the Wheatley that I don't get from the Kirkland. They are very, very close and that's why I do these sbs - no way to parse out differences so slight over time based on memory alone. Both smell "like vodka" with the Kirkland giving a slightly more ethanol-centric note. On the palate the Wheatley is definitely sweeter, but also a bit thinner in mouthfeel. The Kirkland is richer, a bit more peppery and has a slight bitterness in a fast finish. The Wheatley is altogether a more approachable, sweeter take while still retaining a significantly neutral personality. This is like comparing "Snowbound" white paint with "Atrium" white paint. Yes they are different but at the end of the day they are white paint. Both are clean and neutral and perhaps sweeter and less hot than Sobieski, thinner and not quite as earthy as Luksusowa, and no where near as transparent in flavor as Smirnoff 100 proof. This bottle set me back about $28 for a handle. The Kirkland is $20. The Sobieski is $17. I have to be honest, I did like the Wheatley best in the Cajun Martini, though. Something about that sweetness. Or was that just the particular pepper I used? Recommended if the additional costs doesn't matter to you. If it does, opt for the Sobieski or Kirkland.

Another surprisingly good, affordable vodka Wheatley has a very pleasant aroma of wheat and syrup laden pancakes though I had to let it sit for a few seconds before these more pleasant aromas manifested. My initial smell was of strong ethanol fumes and wheat. Once it settles down though, what an aroma it is! On the palate it tastes like vanilla and almost like some baked, lightly sweetened treat. But it should be noted that it does have a strong and commanding alcohol presence along with a bitter finish. I suspect this is the spicy and citrusy flavors people are referring to in other reviews. It's hard to explain. The bitterness and alcohol don't taste *bad* or like it's a bad quality vodka. But I did find them to be more potent than I'd care for and as if they intruded in what was an otherwise sweet and appealing palate. The bite just didn't sit right with me. I suppose you can call it bold but it felt a bit out of balance to me. Depending on my sips it tasted fine and even gave a nice heat burn to the proceedings and other times it made it burn too much. I'm gravitating towards not liking how potent they are. Texture wise it's a nice compromise between oily and watery. It makes it's presence known without being overly intrusive. Nice mouth feel, I approve! All in all this is a good vodka. If you don't mind some spice and a bitter, purposeful bite this is the vodka for you. Otherwise I think Absolut has the same sweetness with less of the brusque bitterness.

Not a vodka fan, but every now and then even the just fall for a shot or two. Tasting neat, room temp. Clear in the glass with some legs. Neutral nose with ethanol and sweet floral vanilla. Ethanol and grassy pepper in the mouth, and then soft sweet grain. Coating mouthfeel with an ethanol kick. Floral notes and lemon appear in the finish along side the spiciness. More flavors than many of the other neutral spirits. Drinking this cold is gonna round off all the tastes and ethanol edges. Interesting, but... it's still vodka.

Hmm....not boring. Smooth enough to drink neat. Hot enough to not make you feel like a third grader. Distinct pleasant flavor of printer paper. Or ink. Whatever it is that you taste when you put printer paper in your mouth after it’s been printed on. Not the thermal kind. The regular kind. Not receipt paper either. Just good starchy printer paper. I’m surprised I like printer paper so much. I dont even remember ever eating printer paper but apparently I did and I liked it.

Clean and warm, no bitterness or burn, a hint of toast. I love that it is not from corn. This is likely the best value in a neutral vodka you will find. I like Reyka a touch more but it is a bit more money. I also like Blue Ice potato vodka a bit more for the richer feel in the mouth. Bottom line is if you buy this you will not be disappointed at all and likely will always keep a bottle in your cabinet.