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?