THE QUESTION OF PREMIUM LIQUORS
One of the things that comes with throwing a party is of course determining what your drink list will be, what will be provided, and what won’t be.
The rabbit hole goes quite deep when it comes to “premium liquors”… for example, there are some who consider Absolut to be good vodka, whereas others swear by Grey Goose, and it goes even deeper to $200, 500, $1000 vodkas etc. The same thing goes for whiskey, tequilas and so on… But the real question is… is there any difference?
Vodka
When it comes to vodka, there has actually been quite a hot debate for years on whether or not there is actually any taste difference between vodkas. Many groups such as ABC, NY Times etc have done tests where they’ve shown that people cannot differentiate between the different vodkas. However, there are an equal number of other tests, such as this one from Slate, that disagree and say there really is a difference.
What do you think? Is there a difference?
I haven’t tried too many vodkas, but I’d really like to try Chopin and Ciroc. My “go to” favourite is Grey Goose because (as far as my own taste perception goes), it seems to be smoother than others I have tried.
I think most people agree that when it comes to other liquors such as rum, whiskey, tequila, cognac, scotch etc… that there are both subtle and significant taste differences between brands.
Rum
For rum, lately I’ve become quite partial to Zaya Gran Reserva (12 years aged). It’s so smooth and it’s got a really rich, dark taste. I’ve also heard good things about Angostura 1824 and Ron Zacapa rums. What’s your favourite rum?
Tequila
Yes, most people know tequila to be my drink of choice. I’m not sure why… it’s lively, flavourful and always dangerous. 
In university, I started out drinking Jose Cuervo… that never let to a good experience in the end. However, in recent years I have fallen in love with fine tequilas. Although I do love Patron, I’ve also taken a liking to 1800 Reposado and Corralejo (and it’s stunning blue bottle). There are so many fantastic tequilas out there… I wish I had access to more!
What are your favourite tequilas?
Other Spirits
I have to admit that I’m not very well versed in other spirits such as whiskey, scotch, cognac, and gin to name a few…
So please help! What are some fine liquors that you like? Do you notice a huge difference?
Tags: 1800 Reposado, cognac, Corralejo, gin, Grey Goose, Patron, Premium liquors, Rum, scotch, tequila, vodka, whiskey, Zaya
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October 28th, 2009 at 11:57 am
I don’t notice a difference… I have wondered for years about people who are particular about their booze brand… I can’t tell!
October 28th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Interesting information… As one of the things I want to do more of is try the ’sipping booze’ – as loading up on beer isn’t the healthiest option (well, booze in general isn’t healthy, but beer’s definitely down at the bottom!)
I haven’t a clue where to start though (like Whiskey on rocks, etc?)
Normally I find rum too, well, RUM, but that bit about Zaya has me wanting to try it… As I know rum is a bit like tequila – the cheap stuff can be BRUTAL.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Love vodka, and there’s definitely a slight difference in how it all goes down. Level is one of the smoother ones, and my favourite these days is called Zubrowska. Pravda bar in Toronto has the best mix of apple juice/cider and Zubrowska, and you can’t even taste the vodka when apple juice is involved!
October 28th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Ah yes, I tried Zubrowska a couple times… I thought it was VERY clean! I haven’t had enough of it to really make a judgement though
Pravda vodka is also nice, the bottle looks fancy haha. I actually had Pravda vodka at Chris’ dad’s house 
October 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Also a big tequila fan. Indeed always dangerous
I also started out with Jose and no, it never does end well. I have tried a number of them from Two Fingers to Patron. I have to say the finer tequilas have definitely won me over, but I’m not sure I have an absolute favourite. Maybe I should just keeping drinking tequila until I figure it out…
October 28th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Single Malt (ideally Single Cask) Scottish Whisky is my drink of choice, too expensive to buy here though so I have to get people to import it from the Uk when they visit. I can’t really detect a difference in Vodka once you get above the ‘tastes like hairspray’ range. Rums, Tequilas and Gins are very different between brands.
October 28th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
PS: Whisky (no e) is Scottish spelling, Whiskey (with an e) Irish, Irish Whiskey is smoother because it’s often triple distilled (tasteless if you ask me), Scotch is usually double distilled and Bourbon only once (which is why it’s so rough)
October 28th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I don’t buy into the vodka hype at all. Whiskey, Scotch, tequila, wine etc, yes.
Here’s a good read on the subject of Grey Goose and it’s creator.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/bizfinance/biz/features/10816/index2.html
October 28th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
i live in australia and although we dont have a vast variety of vodka ive noticed there is definatley a difference between brands hope that helps =)
October 28th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Tequila and I are definitely buddies. So far I’m sticking to Jose Cuervo Especial but I heard Patron was very good (although much more expensive). Jose and I get along pretty well (from the sounds of it that’s pretty rare), it’s the cheap tequila that’s killer. Thanks for letting me know about the better tequilas though, I will have to try them in the future.
Good scotch and bad scotch have quite the difference. The good stuff goes down smooth, warm and slightly sweet. It’s quality should increase by age so the more aged it it, the more expensive it will be. However I found that the Balvenie 12 Yr (Limited Reserve) is much better than the Glenlivet and the Glenfiddich of approx the same number of years. All three brands have pretty much the same price range (~ $80-$85/bottle). The Dalwhinnie 15 Year is good because I find it to be a touch sweeter than the Balvenie but the Balvenie still rocks my world.
October 29th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I’m a tequila gal too. Although I do drink Jose…cause I’m cheap, even though it’s not 100% agave…just in mixed drinks. I usually buy milagro if I’m after a good, reasonably priced tequila. We had a tequila tasting bar at our wedding…oddly enough I can’t remember what type of tequila was served after a few tastes. But I do remember the tequila cream was awesome for sipping (if you like baileys and kahlua type drinks).
I definitely notice a difference in vodkas. Smirnoff tastes like rubbing alcohol.
October 29th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I’m not much of a drinker so I don’t really have the taste palate like others do.
When I do drink I find myself always going towards the whiskys either a jack daniels or a crown royal, whatever my friends have on hand.
October 29th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Vodka- My personal preference is Three Olives Cherry flavored Vodka its really good with Pineapple juice with a splash of Cran. Also Grey Goose is good, but if you dont want to spend the money my “cheap” vodka of choice is Taaka.
Tequila: Patron Silver hands down my favorite. My favorite unatainable tquila is called Quinta de las Penas it is one of the smoothest tequilas that i have ever had the pleasure to consume. Also Almendrado almond tequila is super good it reminds me of Disarono Amaretto mix with sweet and sour and a dash of ginger ale its a really great drink, hard to find but if BevMo is in Canada i would definitly recommend trying it. For summer time my tequila of choice which also happens to be really inexpensive is Jose Cuervo Oranjo, its an orange flavored tequila that is great in strawberry margaritas.
Rum: Im not really a rum drinker it tends to make me way too hot but if i must drink it theres a Jamaican Coconut flavored rum thats really good i cant remember the name of it because i dont drink it often enough, or theres always Parrot Bay or Malibu.
Darks: I like Hennessey and red bull. Crown Royal with a splash of peach schnapps and either ginger ale for a drink or red bull for a bomb. And the always favorite Jack Daniels and Coke.
October 30th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I tried Patron when I was in NYC, few months back it was smooth, very nice taste to it. A company at a conference I attended was buying Patron for like $500 a bottle at some nightclub in Manhattan, so I jumped on it, lol.
Personally I like Cinnamon Schnapps. I don’t care for rum too much or scotch for that matter. Also Kahlua, yum. I know these aren’t high end spirits but they taste good! Love the weather today? YUCK!
October 30th, 2009 at 7:54 am
After about 5 shots, I can differentiate between very little of anything anymore. This comment is likely not helpful.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Dear Ally,
love Moskovskaya Vodka.. you can even drink it pure! Its really light and tastes great. For Gin (My Fav is Gin Tonic and Gin Fizz) I prefer Bombay Sapphire or Tanqueray. You should try those.
Here in Europe atm the Top Drink is Aperol-Sprizz. Its an Italien Liquor mixed with Prosecco (you can also use Champaign), Soda and a slice of Orange. Ideal for Summer!
October 31st, 2009 at 11:48 pm
I definitely notice a difference when I drink Grey Goose – much smoother! Otherwise, I love gin and I go for Tanqueray Ten whenever i can. I notice a difference from Bombay.
December 19th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Hi,
I absolutely love reading your blog!! I’m always super impressed by the parties and meals you put together! This post will definitely help in planning my Christmas party next week. (I was looking for some tequila suggestions!!). : ) Question, when building your set of barware, how many pieces of each type of glass do you generally have/buy? (ie wine, champagne, shot, or martini glasses, etc.)? I’m getting rid of all the mismatched pieces and am replacing with matching sets of glasses. Any tips for someone on a budget?
Thanks!
Bev
(San Francisco Bay Area, California)