Flavored
vodkas seem to be exploding all over the map these
days. Some distillers are already up to 20 and even 30 flavors
of vodka in their lineup. Not to be outdone Effen (the word
meaning smooth) from Holland, which already had original,
black cherry, Dutch raspberry, and cucumber in its lineup
has added blood orange, green apple and raspberry.
You
may have heard about Effen vodka through their spokesperson
Rapper 50 Cent, who takes his rep job so seriously he started
an Instagram war with fellow Rapper P. Diddy, who reps Ciroc
vodka. I'm really not all that impressed with either of these
two spokesfolks, as I think the most effective spokesperson
for a brand was the world's most interesting man, who repped
Dos Equis beer.
Effen
is distilled from wheat from Northern Holland and pure spring
water that has been filtered through reverse osmosis and the
final product is filtered five times through active carbon
and the natural flavor is infused before bottling.
The
bottles are designed to look ultra modern and ultra clean
and remind me a bit of the Art Nouveau designs of the 1930's,
just a bit more stark. The blood orange vodka bottle is appropriately
draped in a blood orange label. Okay, enough talking about
this vodka, let's try it. The nose is extremely orangey and
citrusy, and I can really smell the aroma of the zest. There
are virtually no alcohol vapors in the nose. On the palate,
the citrus and orange really dominate backed by a touch of
vanilla and the vodka is very smooth and warm. The finish
is sweet and warm and smooth and, of course, full of orange
flavor that lasts a fair amount of time. An ice cube mellows
the citrus flavor a bit, but it is still quite flavorful.
Actually, even in a martini or mixed drink the blood orange
flavor doesn't seem to lose much of its potency and continues
to deliver a very flavorful experience.
Effen
vodkas can be found for around $19.99 to $30.00 per
750ML bottle and weighs in at 37.5% ABV or 75 proof.
By George Brozowski
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.effenvodka.com/lpa