Anyone who tells you that vodka doesn’t have any flavor is just wrong. Maybe they just haven’t taken the time to sip it neat and notice the nuanced flavors or perhaps they just have preconceived notions of the spirit that are difficult to shake. Sure, the spirit is distilled and filtered to be a smooth, easily mixable neutral spirit. But it does carry flavors from its base ingredient of choice.
Rye gives it a lightly spicy, peppery flavor. Potato adds a creamy element. Wheat adds softness and a mellow flavor.
Still, even though there are light, sometimes hard-to-pinpoint flavors, many distillers also add flavors to their vodkas. Popular flavors include berries, cucumber, and even jalapenos and habaneros. But, if you ask me, the best flavor to pair with vodka is citrus. Grapefruit, lime, lemon, tangerine, I love them all. Not only do citrus fruits pair best with most underlying vodka flavors, but they also mix well into cocktails like the vodka soda, vodka gimlet, sea breeze, or screwdriver.
As with all flavored spirits, not all citrus vodkas are created equal. That’s why I decided to blindly nose, taste, and rank citrus-flavored vodkas to find the best. Keep scrolling to see how it all turned out. Did your favorite citrus-based flavored vodka make the cut?
Today’s Lineup:
- Absolut Citron
- Crop Organic Meyer Lemon
- St. George California Citrus
- SKYY Infusions Citrus
- Grey Goose Le Citron
- Ketel One Citroen
- Smirnoff Citrus
- Hanson Of Sonoma Meyer Lemon
Part 1: Citrus Flavored Vodka Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
A nose of Mandarin orange, lemon zest, tangerines, and light spices make for a very welcoming beginning to this vodka. Lemon is center stage on the palate. Real, fresh lemon. Behind that is more mandarin orange, clementines, and other light citrus flavors. It has a nice combination of sweetness and tart citrus flavor with a crisp, lightly dry finish.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
There’s an herbal quality to this vodka’s nose that draws you in for more. Maybe some pepper and botanical aromas. Also, there is a major, fresh lemon aroma on the nose that mingles perfectly with the other scents. There’s more of the same on the palate with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, peppercorns, licorice, honey, and gentle spices making for a memorable, vodka, to say the least.
This is a very fresh-tasting citrus-centric vodka.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
This is a massively citrus-filled vodka on the nose. Fresh lemons, tangerines, and grapefruits fill your nostrils before your first sip. On the palate, you’ll find lime zest, mandarin orange, lemon peels, honey, vanilla, and light spices. The finish is tart, dry, and gently sweet.
This is as perfect as a citrus-flavored vodkas come.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
The nose is heavy on the synthetic, generic orange aroma. It smells like orange candy, There’s also a little bit of lemons reminiscent of Lemon Heads candy. There’s an odd aroma to it as well. Luckily, the palate is a little more muted.
There’s orange, lime, and lemon, and not much else. It’s fairly light on flavor and not very memorable.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a subtle sweetness and a nice kick of aromatic, fresh lemon and other citrus scents. It smells like freshly squeezed lemon juice. Nothing generic about this vodka. Drinking it reveals a zesty, tart, lemon-filled palate that holds a ton of tangerine, honey, and light spices.
It’s very fresh and well-suited for mixing.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this vodkas nose. There’s a ton of fresh, ripe orange, tangerine, and other citrus flavors. It smells like a fresh-squeezed glass of orange juice mixed with vodka. Maybe like a well-made screwdriver. The palate is dry, warming, and loaded with tangerine and orange flavor. There’s also a hint of bergamot. It’s tart, lightly sweet, and well-suited for mixing into your favorite cocktails.
This is a special vodka and one that would range fans among all citrus lovers.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
Nosing this vodka brings forth scents of orange zest, fresh lemons, and lime. It’s a trus-filled start. The palate has more of the same, but some tartness, bitterness, and acidity. It’s appropriate for the flavor, but it might not be for everyone. The finish is dry, and warming, and ends with more citrus zest.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, I noticed a lot of lemon zest aroma, but nothing else. I assume this is only a lemon-flavored vodka because there were no other discernable citrus fruits on the nose. It did smell like real lemon though. That’s a plus. The palate has more lemon flavor as well as some vanilla and honey. But I had to reach to find them.
It’s heavy on the lemon… maybe too heavy.
Part 2: The Rankings
8.) Smirnoff Citrus (Taste 4)
ABV: 35%
Average Price: $14
The Vodka:
Smirnoff Citrus is as simple as flavored vodka gets. It begins as a smooth, triple-distilled vodka that’s then infused with citrus flavors. It was created as a base for your favorite citrus-centric cocktail. It’s no frills and inexpensive.
Bottom Line:
This is one of the cheapest vodkas on this list. It shouldn’t be surprising that it has a rather generic, synthetic aroma and flavor.
7.) Ketel One Citroen (Taste 8)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $19
The Vodka:
We all know Ketel One for its high quality and surprisingly low price. Well, this flavored vodka begins with that same vodka and infuses it with not only four different types of lemons but two types of lime. That’s an awful lot of citrus flavor.
Bottom Line:
This vodka is listed as having other citrus fruits besides lemon, but that’s ould smell or taste.
6.) SKYY Infusions Citrus (Taste 7)
ABV: 35%
Average Price: $14
The Vodka:
Skyy Vodka is well-known for its bargain price and this bottle will only set you back about $14 as well. Skyy Infusions Citrus is known for its mix of lemon flavor, light bitterness, and acidity. All are well-suited for a Cosmopolitan or other vodka-based cocktail.
Bottom Line:
The acidity and tart flavor is what you expect when you squeeze a lemon into a glass. This vodka, however, could do with a little more sweetness.
5.) Grey Goose Le Citron (Taste 5)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Vodka:
When it comes to vodka, there are few names bigger than Grey Goose. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that the brand has a popular citrus-based expression. But like with all of its vodkas, it doesn’t cut any corners. This flavored vodka is with essential oils from various lemons, including some from the Menton region in France.
Bottom Line:
This vodka tastes like they somehow squeezed lemon and orange juice into a spirit and then somehow removed most of the acidity, tartness, and bitterness.
4.) Hanson Of Sonoma Meyer Lemon (Taste 2)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $25
The Vodka:
While some of the flavored vodkas on this list are made with flavoring or citrus oils, Hanson of Sonoma sourced locally-grown Meyer lemons from an area farm, peels them by hand, and then macerates them in their organic original vodka. This gives this vodka tart, fresh lemon flavor.
Bottom Line:
The herbal, fruity, citrus aroma and flavor of this vodka make it unique. That’s enough to make this a bottle that belongs in your home bar.
3.) St. George California Citrus (Taste 6)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $33
The Vodka:
St. George is one of those distilleries where you can’t go wrong with whatever you buy. Vodka, gin, and other spirits, everything they make is quality. St. George California Citrus is no different. It gets its outstanding aroma and flavor from the use of California-grown Valencia oranges, Seville oranges, and bergamot from the nearby Lindcove Ranch.
Bottom Line:
While many of the vodkas on this list lean in the lemon range, this is one for the orange fans. Multiple different, fresh oranges tend to do that.
2.) Crop Organic Meyer Lemon (Taste 1)
ABV: 35%
Average Price: $22
The Vodka:
The second Meyer lemon-based vodka on this list, Crop Organic Meyer Lemon is known for its bright, tart, memorable flavor. This award-winning, highly-rated vodka was created to be used as the base for a cosmopolitan, gimlet, or other vodka-based cocktail that calls for a nice kick of lemon.
Bottom Line:
This vodka might seem simple with only a few notable aromas and flavors. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. This is one of the most balanced, flavored vodkas I’ve ever tried.
1.) Absolut Citron (Taste 3)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $22
The Vodka:
Absolut is a big name in the vodka world. This Swedish-made vodka is one of the most popular in the world for a reason. Not only is its original, soft, mellow, highly mixable vodka great, but so aree its flavored options. Specifically, Absolut Citron. First launched in 1988, this citrus vodka’s release led to the creation of the now iconic Cosmopolitan.
Bottom Line:
Absolut Citron is one of the most popular flavored vodkas on the market for a reason. It’s balanced, complex, and loaded with citrus aromas and flavors.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
When it comes to blindly nosing, tasting, and eventually ranking these citrus flavors vodkas, it’s clear that fresh, real citrus is key. Generic, synthetic, and simply fake-smelling and tasting citrus vodkas just didn’t cut it. It was also clear that the cheaper vodkas just didn’t fair as well.