By
George Brozowski
Well,
this is certainly one interesting vodka! Most vodkas
are produced from corn, sorghum, rye, wheat or potatoes but
this bad boy is produced from grapes and not just any old
grape but primarily the Ugni Blanc from the Cognac region
of France and that grape is coincidentally the prime ingredient
of very fine cognac. Then Ciroc goes that extra mile and distills
it 5 times with the final distillation being performed in
a traditional Armagnac style copper pot still. All that, in
and of itself, would make this one interesting vodka but there's
more, there's Sean Diddy Combs.
Yes,
THAT Sean Diddy Combs, the American music star and uber entrepreneur.
It turns out that he became the brand ambassador for Ciroc
in 2007. "Ciroc Obama" as he likes to refer to himself,
took sales of Ciroc from 40,000 cases a year to 2.1 million
cases in 2012. Now that's really interesting!
I
have to admit I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to my spirits.
I like them to taste like they're supposed to taste and not
like cheese cake or ice cream or fruit. If I want cheese cake
or ice cream or fruit I usually get the real thing but I have
to admit I have tasted some interesting flavored vodkas in
my time, Bison Grass flavored vodka comes to mind. I also
have to admit that I have tasted some extremely horrible flavored
vodka's in my time; watermelon is the first to pop up in my
brain, so I am very anxious to see what these folks have conjured
up. The art of flavoring vodka is one part science and two
parts botanical voodoo. Traditionally they can either hang
a bag of botanicals in the still and let the rising vapors
absorb the flavor or they can macerate the distilled vodka
with the botanicals after the distillation. I've performed
the second operation in my own kitchen; it's fairly simple
and straightforward.
Take
plain vodka and in my case blueberries and soak the blueberries
in the vodka over night and voila, blueberry flavored vodka.
I must admit that it was just so-so probably because I didn't
quite have that voodoo bit down.
Well
let's give this stuff a taste drive and see if they got the
voodoo down. First comes the straight up Ciroc snap frost
vodka. This nose is full bodied and thick and oily with no
alcohol smell and I mean all of that in a good way.
I
get a sense of grape skins, a hint of mint and a sweet grassy
smell that is unlike normal vodka but very inviting. The palate
continues along the lines of the nose and has sweet grape
notes, again a full body and comes off pleasantly earthy.
You definitely get a sense of the terroir in the taste. The
finish is smooth and again earthy and medium in length leaving
a wonderfully balanced mouth feel. This is definitely different
vodka but also very good vodka and unlike any other. On the
rocks the high notes become subdued yet it maintains its sense
of earthiness and sweetness along with its full body. It would
literally be a shame to mix this with anything and ruin the
pleasure of drinking it straight up or on the rocks. This
vodka could definitely become one of my all time favorites.
Oh
my goodness, I can't believe they're going to take this delightful
vodka and infuse it with Peach and then Red
Berry and then Coconut and finally
Amaretto. I would have let well enough alone
but who knows, maybe they got the voodoo down. Let's try the
Peach. WOW, the nose is definitely clean
ripe peaches with the skin on. There is a sweetness that smells
natural and not chemical and there is again no discernible
alcohol in the nose. Well I'll be, the palate is much more
laid back than the nose and not as full flavored. The sweetness
now seems to come more from saccharin or sugar rather than
peach juices but it is still very nice. The peach notes have
become quite sharp for some reason and a bit edgier then a
natural peach would taste. It is still pleasantly oily and
full in the mouth and the finish is quite smooth and a bit
longer than the straight Ciroc. On the rocks
the nose settles down and now is reminiscent of the muted
peach aroma of a plate full of peaches ripening on a window
ledge in the kitchen at the end of summer. The palate seems
a bit more balanced but the peachy sweetness isn't as peachy
as it should be. I think the voodoo went a bit astray here.
The finish is smooth and sweet and long. I think this Peach
Ciroc flavor would be best served mixed with other
ingredients and would make a killer cocktail.
Let
me start off this Red Berry Ciroc taste drive
by saying I have field picked raspberries and strawberries
so I am very familiar with what a field of berries smells
like. This Ciroc Red Berry comes close but probably not near
enough.
The
nose seems to have acquired a bit more alcohol in the blend
followed by some indistinct berry like aroma that certainly
smells berryish or maybe berryesque but does not smell like
any one particular berry. On the palate the confusion continues
and I can only guess that the red berry referred to in the
name of this product is some type of rare red berry that grows
either deep in a swamp or at the highest heights of the Himalayas
as surely I have no personal knowledge of any berry that tastes
like this; extreme voodoo!! But I do think it would be a good
mixer.
Next
up is the Ciroc Coconut. Well waddya know
the nose is spot on coconut and even a bit musky and sweet
much like the real thing and there is no alcohol smell at
all. It hits every taste bud in the palate just right with
the coconut taste forward followed by the musk and then the
sweetness all perfectly balanced with the vodka. The finish
is smooth and sweet and medium in length and lingers in the
throat just long enough to make you want to do it all over
again. This is the best coconut flavored vodka I have tasted
and let me tell ya I've tasted my fair share of coconut flavored
vodkas. It just gets better on the rocks as the flavors all
integrate and blend further together. Now all I need is a
sandy beach and a hammock and a palm tree to complete the
picture. YUM!
And
last but not least is the Amaretto flavored
Ciroc vodka. WOW, this nose is as amarettoish
as pure Amaretto. It has a distinct almond aroma with a slight
back of peach and a sharp but muted sweetness. Again the alcohol
is nowhere to be found but I am sure it is lurking somewhere
in the background. On the palate it is rich and thick and
oily covering the tongue like a blanket. The almond flavor
dominates followed by a hint of the peach and just the right
touch of sweetness.
The
finish is of course smooth and long and the Amaretto flavor
lingers welcomingly. This is very delightful and pleasantly
not as over the top with flavor intensity as real Amaretto
can be. I would be willing to bet that this drink would pair
nicely with a cigar and a cheese plate after dinner. On the
rocks the flavor continues unabated as if the ice had no diluting
effect. I would recommend against mixing this with anything
and just enjoying it as is although it might go quite nicely
in that first cup of coffee on a Sunday morning with a tall
stack of pancakes, a few slices of bacon and lots and lots
of maple syrup and butter but you didn't hear that here, enjoy!
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