Christropher Home Cutler has contributed 44 reviews
Siwucha
Warm nose, hints of grape, citrus and rye, and apple in body, long finish. A truly delicious mixed grain vodka.
Pan Tadeusz
Excellent pure rye. Warm nose, hints of apple, flour and pear, medium mellow finish. Truly exceptional entry level vodka. Easily in my top 5.
Chopin
Rich nose, full of lemon zest and spice, dazzling citrus, coriander, starch and light black olive tasting notes, medium-long sweet finish. What can be said, an excellent entry for the oft overlooked potatoe vodka category, certainly quality for price marry quite comfortably here.
Zubrowka
Warm coconut nose, complex body of vanilla, peppercorn, coconut, apple, and pear body, aromatic finish with a hint of wheat on the palate. On my 20th bottle in the past few years, this one is a mainstay in my freezer. I save each blade of grass from the previous bottle for the next, at some point the grass/vodka ratio will be unbalanced XD. Delicious aromatic vodka.
Wyborowa Exquisite
Warm citrus nose, hint of coriander, sweet toasted rye and hints of green grape prevade the rich starch body, very brigh, medium finish. Sweet, aromatic, and polished, all the good things of a pure Rye vodka. A single batch version of it's entry level sibling, easily takes a strong place in the ultra premium market, without being filted to oblivion. In my top 5 !
Spirytus Staropolski
Dazzling, medicinal nose, warm heart of liquorice, lemon zest, and touch of wheat, warmth prevails on the palate, long finish. This is a rectified vodka, at 96 percent, but still holds to all the basic tasting points of a standard proof spirit. Decidely sharp, and lights a fire all the way down, but as long as you drink properly, the complexities are delightful. Also excellent for home brewed vodkas !
Dziegielówka
Floral, spicy nose, hints of lavender, cayenne, anise and wheat with an herbal touch, long, mildly sweet finish. A more traditional Polish aromatic vodka, excellent bettween the last course of a meal and dessert !.
Sobieski
Medium nose, hints of toasted rye and grape, medium polished finish. As far as rye vodkas go, this one is just delicious. Perfect balance in the tasting notes, and as pleasant to the nose as it is to the palate. And the price makes it an exceptional choice. Easily in my top 5 !
Imperial Collection
Bright nose, dazzling hints of grape and soft polished wheat, short warm finish. As far as Russian vodkas go, this one certainly stands out. The price is abit restrictive, but I would hardly say I was dissapointed by the quality. Delicious with a nice focused set of tasting notes. I suppose something could be said about the bottle as well, quite attractive, but the vodka is exceptional. It close to my top 5.
Old Kyiv
Light flour and zest nose, rich, sweet wheat and citrus body, pleasant starchy finish. A wonderful example of Ukraine vodkas. I'm not sure if it's still produced though (the remaining I have is from 1998)
Kapitanska
Gentle burlap grain nose, light hints of aged wheat and citrus in body, semi-short, sweet finish. Very nice mixed grain.
Jarzebiak Rowan
Aromatic semi-sweet vodka, pear and juniper nose, berry, lemon zest and red grape tasting notes, medium finish. A wonderful after dinner vodka.
Extra Zytnia Vodka
Delightful fresh rye bread nose, toasted wheat and dazzling citrus body, medium, smooth finish. For a budget vodka, this is truly exceptional. In my top 5.
Luksusowa
Warm zest nose, hints of liquorice, toasted starch and orange peel with a touch of pear, medium dazzling finish that lingers on the back of the palate. Certainly, as a contender with the more expensive potatoe-based vodkas, this one stands up quite admirably. A full body vodka to go with your borscht !
Belvedere
Medium butter nose, toasted almond, starch burlap, anise and pepper body, medium sweet finish. As far as Rye vodkas go, this one is a fair entry. A note, I taste all my vodkas straight, frozen *and* room temperature, hence I do not tend to review viscosity.
Zirkova
Medium toasted grain nose, dazzling lemon zest, anise, butter and rye with a *hint* of apple, medium lively finish. For the price, this Ukrainian contender can't be beaten. Goes well as a warm night of toasting good health, or along side a rich meal of starches, sour cream, and red meat !
Hetman
Warm nose, orange peel, clove, fresh wheat and peppercorn hints, medium, bright finish with a touch of spice on the palate. Both Poland and Ukraine produce a vodka under this name, and I've found that they are both pleasant mixed wheat vodkas, that go well with a healthy serving of pierogies and fresh sour cream !
Kremlyovskaya
Rich nose, burnt almond and citrus notes, medium polished finish. As far as Russian vodkas go, I find this one to stand out. I'm not familiar with it's distinction from it's distillery-mate, Stoli, but from tasting, I feel they are two different products. The tasting notes are dark and rich, but the finish keeps it light on the palate. If you can buy it, I would certainly recommend it.
Wyborowa
Medium cream nose, almond, toasted rye and light orange zest notes, medium finish. Similar to it's single batch version, Wyborowa offers a complex, if not slightly less focused set of tasting notes with a creamy approach to the pallet. For a rye, it's always a good choice, mabey not *as* polished as others, but as far as standard shelf [INVALID]ion goes, you can't go wrong. If you enjoy Wyborowa, and wish to try a premium in the same vein, Wyborowa Exquisite will more than surprise you. I've reviewed it as well :).
Garant
Mild, slightly medicinal nose, light dazzling body, hints of apple and grain, medium short finish. Another entry from Russia, this one fairs rather well for the modest price tag (despite the smaller, 500ml bottle) it's pleasant, only abit rough around the edges, and has some character to set it apart from the standard shelf fare.
Khlebnoe Vino
Light, sweet nose, very warm palate of toasted wheat, tiny hint of fennel and apple, short polished finish. Definitely a decent mixed grain vodka, sweet and mellow at room temperature as well as chilled.
Moskovskaya
Warm nose, bright palate of orange zest, warm grain and slight hint of whole pepper, sweet, medium finish. This review would be in place of my other one for Moskovskaya. I believe I have made an error, and had written of the wrong make last time. This one is quite exceptional for it's price !
U'Luvka
Light wheat nose, gentle, polished lemon zest and apple notes, short smooth finish. Abit lacking in character for my tastes, but certainly possesing clairty in body and finish. A decent ultra-premium
Stumbras Centenary
Semi-sharp nose, mildly sour birch and wheat body, medium finish. The presentation of wheat in the bottle is attractive, but the vodka itself is abit rough, with not too many pronounced tasting notes. Allright entry level vodka.
Vodka.pl
Aromatic semi-sweet vodka, peppercorn sweet nose, light honey and cayenne body, short polished finish. For an aromatic honey vodka, this one falls somewhere in the middle for me, not too much honey as to be heavy on the palate, not enough spice to light a fire in the belly. Good value for the price though.
Crystal Head
Light citrus nose, hints of almond and fresh harvest wheat in body, fairly neutral medium finish. While I wouldn't recommend this as a full bodied vodka, it has good clarity and polish, and remains balanced between nose and palate. The bottle, however, *is* a work of art. If you wish to pay extra, and would otherwise buy Grey Goose (not recommending that) I would say go for it, atleast once. For the spirit, not as much.
Pravda
Light citrus nose, hint of gooseberry, toasted wheat and coriander in the body, medium slightly sour starch finish. Another premium that sits somewhere in the middle for me, it has character in tasting notes, possibly lacks clarity in the finish, but an allright showing.
Russian Standard
Lively nose with hint of charcoal, toasted wheat, anise and lemongrass notes, medium finish. As far as entry level vodkas from Russia, this doesn't do too badly. When priced against Stoli, it delivers a fairly focused set of tasting notes, with the right amount of polish to keep the finish from being too aggressive.
Krolewska Vodka
Bright starch nose, buttered wheat and lemon peel, hint of coriander, medium crips finish. In the category of premium mixed grain vodkas, it's abit difficult to excel, and Krolewska fails abit for not trying to define itself in it's flavor. Still a decent vodka from Poland, and certainly a beautiful bottle.
Skyy
Semi sharp nose with a hint of charcoal, lemon grass, light wheat and a touch of grape in the body, short, clean finish. As far as American grain vodkas go, it's not too rough to enjoy neat, and not too filtered to miss the palate all together.
Lietuviska Degtine
Medium zest nose, orange and lemon peel, hints of flax, rough grain, medium long, slightly unpolished finish. Not an awful entry for the price. Suffers from a lack of finishing in the palate. Similar to it's distillery sibling, Stumbras Centenary.
Pravda
Light nose, short citrus entrance, toasted rye in the body. Medium grain finish. Nothing that really sets it apart from other rye vodkas, and unfortunately the price doesn't help matters. Not a bad vodka, just nothing exceptional, especially considering the availability other ryes like Sobieski, at a fraction of the cost.
Akvinta
For an ultra-premium, I was dissapointed. Sharp nose, slightly sour olive and wheat body, medium sour finish. Filtered 5 times, but still rough.
Jazz Vodka
Light fennel and apple nose, short polished wheat body, short finish. While I wouldn't say the vodka lacks quality, it's well finished and balanced bettween the nose and the palate, I feel it's too unremarkable in character for my tastes.
Youri Dolgoruki
Sharp, medicinal charcoal nose, rough toasted wheat, thyme, and olive body, slightly sour, medium finish. Honestly, as much as I wish to give a premium Russian (part of my heritage) vodka a good review, in this case I'm unable to muster it. Comes off as a filtered version of entry level brands, with slightly less refined tasting notes. Not awful, just expected more for the price. Bottle is a pleasant distraction, well designed, but not worth the extra money.
Krakus
Light fennel and wheat nose, mellow toasted starch and light lemon zest notes, short polished finish. At an ultra premium price, this vodka succeeds in providing a fairly refined clarity in body, with little aftertaste, but falls well short of the tasting notes of a good vodka.
Stolichnaya
Mellow nose with a hint of charcoal, toasted wheat, liquorice, with a touch of grape, medium, slightly sharp finish. Being the well worn path, Stoli still finds a balance. I would like to call it a 3, but it could use abit of refinement. Not a poor purchase to be sure, but there are cheaper vodkas I enjoy.
Grey Goose
Light starch nose, wheat and coriander with a touch of orange, short polished finish. This is not a truly awful vodka. The reason I personally give it a 2 is because it has been refined through over-filtration, and the price hardly reflects the vodka itself. What it makes up for in clarity, it lacks in character, which in my opinion, sets ultra-premiums apart, since it costs nothing to filter an unremarkable vodka, and takes time and effort to distill a remarkable one !
Soyuz-Victan
Slightly sharp nose, hint of lemon zest and sour olive, medium finish. For vodkas from Ukraine, I'm abit on the fence here. It has some warmth in the wheat, but this is balanced by the rough finish, so I can't call it a rounded vodka. Nearly a 3, but competition edges it out from other mixed grain vodkas.
Classic Elite
Mellow, sweet nose, very thick at room temperature, hints of anise, apple, and toasted wheat in the body, almost semi-sweet, long, slightly rough finish. This mixed grain vodka comes bottled in plastic. While it's not in any way offensive, or outright unpolished, I personally find the semi-sweet finish for a non-flavoured vodka abit strange, almost as if it was a Rye that was heavy on the grain sugars. Still, it certainly is interesting.
Absolut
Sharp alchohol nose, sour olive and grape body, long rough finish. Personally, I do not consider the gap bettween quality of advertising and quality of product to be logical. If you must buy the household brand, stick with Smirnoff.
Popov
Sharp charcoal nose, unpolished sour olive body, long rough finish. When looking for a budget brand, there has to be some limit. Somehow, the money seems to go into the plastic bottle.
Moskovskaya
Sharp charcoal nose, medicinal sour body with notes of rough wheat and olive, long unpolished finish. This vodka, similar to Stoli (but certainly a worse finished product) in distillation, suffers from a grand lack of filtration, and a natural character that doesn't hold up well to naked tasting. As a budget brand, there are worse, but there are definitely better.
Ciroc
Dry, lightly acidic nose, green grape, light peach, and hint of apple, sweet, medium finish. I gave this a one only because it's a grappa, despite all efforts to package it as a vodka, so it's not really fair to judge it as one.