By
George Brozowski
It
literally seems like a thousand years ago that super
premium vodka brands launched even though I know it was really
in my lifetime, not that I'm all that old. When they first
came upon the scene they sold for $30.00 plus and that premium
price reflected their premium taste. To everyone's good fortune
many of those super premium prices have now fallen South of
$30.00 and yet the quality has been maintained.
Ketel
One is a good case in point. Straight up it has a
neutral but faintly grainy nose with little to no alcohol
in the vapors. Sipped neat, it is pleasing on the palate and
retains that neutrality throughout the experience. There's
a remote sweetness to it that is distant enough to be intriguing
without getting in the way. The finish is clean but a bit
more spicy then I would have preferred in a top shelf vodka
but don't get me wrong the finish is smooth and medium in
length and tickles the throat.
On
the rocks this vodka settles right down and behaves perfectly.
The nose is neutral, the palate is neutral as well but has
a bit of body and a hint of grain that works perfectly. The
finish is now perfectly smooth and short and is clean and
refreshing.
OK
so all that wonderful stuff being said why in the world would
they start screwing around with bliss and perfection and attempt
an orange flavored vodka? Maybe they thought they could get
it right were so many others have failed miserably. I've tasted
all sorts of oddly flavored vodkas for years from dozens of
distillers and in all that time I do believe that less than
a handful have ever really tasted wonderful. So with attitude
askew and tongue guarded I opened the bottle of Ketel
One Oranje.
I'll
give them this, straight up the nose is ripe with oranges
although a bit on the acidic side and missing the orange pulp
body experience. Cut open an orange and stick your nose deep
into it and you'll get exactly what I mean. There's a bunch
of rich deep fruit that you'll experience in the real thing
that I just don't get here. Straight up on the palate the
vodka has taken on the acid of the orange and that has disrupted
the placid palate experience of the plain vodka. I'm trying
really hard to conjure up oranges but instead I get unfocused
acidity that tries to relate to oranges but certainly must
have totally different DNA. The finish is sharp and pointed
and lingers in the throat.
OK
so let's try this on the rocks and see if it opens up a bit.
On ice the nose does in fact open up and I get a much more
rounded and fuller orange experience, closer but still no
cigar. The palate is far more pleasing as all the oddities
have been diluted and a bit more orange comes through and
that orange is now subtle enough to be intriguing almost working
up to being pleasant. The finish is finally smooth and not
acidic and almost pleasant except for a tinge of something
that wants to pass as orange. I bet if they experiment with
this a bit more they just might get it really right. I'm in
their corner, I like their vodka but I think they have rushed
to market with this product a bit ahead of its time. The 750ml
bottles can be purchased for around $30.00 and have been known
to go for less on sale.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
www.ketelone.com/