Despite vodka being the No. 1 selling spirit in America, we're somewhat convinced that the majority of its fans are eating their meals in dining halls and walking around in pajama pants. Vodka isn't exactly a darling of the mixology community, but in terms of overall popularity, the numbers speak for themselves.
Last year, a consumer study revealed the top 5 vodkas preferred by American consumers, listing Grey Goose as the favorite. The study is in direct conflict with a 2005 New York Times blind tasting of 21 world-class vodkas, which ranked Smirnoff the "hands-down favorite." So of course, HuffPost Taste had to put those top-5 finishers to the test.
We polled our newsroom to find both vodka lovers and haters, gathering tasters from opposite ends of the spectrum. We discovered that the vast majority of our newsroom abhors vodka, but there were a few vodka lovers (who ... happened to be young females). So …
Did our results align with America's? Check out the results of our taste test in the list below! And let us know where you stand by leaving a comment.
As always, this taste test is in no way sponsored or influenced by the brands included.
Made with: Wheat and rye
Comments: "POISON." "Tastes like straight rubbing alcohol." "An offense to humanity." "RUBBING ALCOHOL." "Please never make me drink again." "Really tough to drink and sickening." "Satan's piss."
Made with: Wheat
Comments: "Rubbing alcohol. This made me shudder." "It has a weirdly sweet aftertaste." "Oh god. Oh god. I feel like I'm being waterboarded." "Bitter and harsh. Yuck." "Too gross to drink." "This tastes like it's had something burnt soaked in it." "Smells like nail polish."
Made with: Wheat
Comments: "Pretty good. It's lacking that horrible sweetness some of the others have." "Not delicious, but basically inoffensive." "Spicy and going down smooth." "Not great but not gag-inducing."
Made with: Wheat
Comments: "Slightly floral." "Smooth yet strong." "Yuck! Very sharp and acrid. Tastes like acetone." "I'd like this for martinis." "This reminds me of rubbing alcohol." "Smells like poison but mostly tastes like water." "Smooth, drinkable."
Made with: Corn
Comments: "Smooth, not sweet." "Kind of harsh, but manageable." "I don't hate that. It's pretty neutral." "Not too harsh. It tastes like vodka." "Drinkable and clean." "I would drink this again."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Smirnoff is made with wheat. It is made with corn.
This story appears in Issue 78 of our weekly iPad magazine, Huffington, available Friday, Dec. 6in the iTunes App store.
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