Vodka is an interesting spirit to say the least. It’s not flavorless… but it is often marketed that way. And while we agree that the filtration process is designed to remove many flavors and aromas in order make the spirit as smooth as possible, the grains or other ingredients it’s made with do impart some flavors.
That being said, this neutral grain spirit gets a bad name because of some of the cheap, harsh, seemingly flavorless bottles on the market. So I picked eight of my favorites and blindly nosed and tasted them to find out which ones are actually worth sipping neat. Each of the eight vodkas is priced at or under $30 — keep scrolling to find the champ.
Here’s today’s vodka lineup:
- Tower Vodka
- Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka
- Ketel One Vodka
- American Harvest Vodka
- Prairie Organic Vodka
- Reyka Vodka
- Tito’s Handmade Vodka
- Absolut Vodka
Part 1: Vodkas Under $30 Blind Tasting
Taste 1
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a mix of light tropical fruit sweetness and peppery spice. It’s not such a bad thing as both aromas are intriguing. The palate has more tropical fruit sweetness, some orchard fruit flavor, light spices, corn, and light vanilla. All the flavors were a little muted though.
Taste 2
Tasting Notes:
There’s not a lot going on with this vodka’s nose. There are some light apple, vanilla, and floral scents, but that’s about it. There’s more of the same on the palate with some sweet grain, green apple, and light spices. The finish has a little more heat than I’d prefer.
Taste 3
Tasting Notes:
A complex nose of vanilla beans, cracked black pepper, caramel, and sweet corn greets you before your first sip. There’s a bit of mineral water flavor on the palate as well as white pepper, vanilla beans, light citrus, and caramel corn sweetness. The finish is sweet, warming, and very pleasurable.
Taste 4
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find notes of vanilla beans, light spices, and brown sugar. The palate is soft, sweet, and mellow with a ton of vanilla, sugar, and some cracked black pepper and orange peel. It has a lightly spicy, lightly sweet finish. It’s warming and lingering in the best way possible.
Taste 5
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle fruity aroma on the nose that really draws you in. There’s also a mineral element and vanilla and pepper. The palate is filled with vanilla beans, lemongrass, fresh flowers, cracked pepper, sweet wheat, and a fruity, sweet, orchard-fruit warming finish. All in all, a really complex, sippable vodka.
Taste 6
Tasting Notes:
While faint, there’s a mineral, spiced, lightly floral aroma on the nose. Sipping it brings a little more flavor with cracked black pepper, vanilla beans, licorice, and orange zest. Overall, it’s smooth, but not overly exciting.
Taste 7
Tasting Notes:
The nose is mineral, peppery, vanilla, lightly fruity, citrus, and grain-forward. There’s more of the same in the palate with a mineral, earthy flavor up front that’s followed by floral flavors as well as lemon zest, orange peels, barley, vanilla, and a nice kick of cracked black pepper at the finish. It has a great balance of citrus, vanilla, and warming spice.
Taste 8
Tasting Notes:
The nose is sweet and sugary with fresh bread, flowers, cracked black pepper, and vanilla beans. It seems simple, but it’s surprisingly fragrant and welcoming. The palate is very soft and sippable. Drinking it brings forth notes of black licorice, cracked black pepper, light citrus, vanilla beans, and a light minerality. It’s warming, sweet, and memorable.
Part 2: The Rankings
8. Prairie Organic Vodka (Taste 2)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $18.99
The Vodka:
Made with a base of 100% USDA-certified organic corn grown in Minnesota, Prairie Organic Vodka is known for its gluten-free, creamy, sweet palate. Not only can you expect vanilla and orchard fruit aromas and flavor, but you can expect to pay under $30 for a 750ml bottle every time.
Bottom Line:
Prairie Organic Vodka is a lightly fruity, decent spirit. It’s a little too hot and harsh on the backend to be anything but a mixer.
7. Ketel One Vodka (Taste 6)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $17.99
The Vodka:
Ketel One Vodka has been popular for a long time. Even with its name recognition, it remains a surprisingly inexpensive vodka. This is known for its soft, sippable body thanks to being made from 100% wheat and from being filtered over charcoal.
Bottom Line:
Wheat gives Ketel One a soft mouthfeel. It’s a decent mixer, but not flavorful enough to be an everyday sipper.
6. Tower Vodka (Taste 1)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $14.99
The Vodka:
Like Tito’s, this award-winning vodka comes from the Lone Star State. Surprisingly inexpensive, it’s a gluten-free, corn-based vodka that is distilled six times to remove any impurities and give it a creamy, mellow mouthfeel.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason this is an award-winning vodka. It’s smooth and easy to drink. It’s just that all the distillation might have removed some of the aroma and flavor.
5. American Harvest Vodka (Taste 4)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $24.99
The Vodka:
This vodka is Americana in a bottle. Made from Rocky Mountain red winter wheat sourced from a third generations organic farm. It’s gluten and GMO-free. Not only is it a flavorful vodka, but 1.3 of the power to make it comes to windmills.
Bottom Line:
If you’ve never tried American Harvest, it’s time to try this Idaho-made vodka. It has a great mix of sweetness, spice, and warming heat.
4. Tito’s Handmade Vodka (Taste 3)
ABV: 30%
Average Price: $15.99
The Vodka:
There aren’t many American-made vodkas more well-known than Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Distilled since 1995, this pot-still distilled vodka is made with corn and is gluten-free. It’s known for its sweet, mellow, memorable flavor.
Bottom Line:
Tito’s is a classic, mellow, flavorful vodka that has stood the test of time. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular vodkas in the US.
3. Absolut Vodka (Taste 8)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $13.99
The Vodka:
Sweden’s Absolut is one of the most popular vodka brands in the world. Made from red winter wheat and water from the brand’s 140-meter-deep wells. It’s made with continuous distillation to make it as clear, mellow, and smooth as possible.
Bottom Line:
Absolut might be a giant brand, but the product they make it flavorful, balanced, and very soft.
2. Reyka Vodka (Taste 7)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $17.99
The Vodka:
Iceland is known as the land of “fire and ice” and it’s the home of Reyka Vodka. This award-winning vodka is made with wheat and barley, pure glacial water, distilled in Carter-head stills, and filtered through volcanic rocks. It’s known for its unparalleled, crisp, easy-drinking flavor profile.
Bottom Line:
To say that Reyka Vodka is an earthy, flavorful vodka is a bit of an understatement. In the best way possible, it tastes like the rich earth of the volcanic island.
1. Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka (Taste 5)
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29.95
The Vodka:
This vodka’s name tells you everything you need to know about it. Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka is an award-winning spirit made with locally-sourced wheat from Washington State. The result is a soft, sippable, complex vodka.
Bottom Line:
This was my first experience with Dry Fly Washington Wheat Vodka and I was pleasantly surprised by the soft complexity of it.
Part 3: Final Thoughts
Vodka is a tough spirit to judge. While it was clear I preferred vodkas that were more balanced, memorable flavors (even if there weren’t many) seemed to rank well. Also, any overly hot, harsh vodka was immediately thrust into the less desirable category. Great flavor always wins out.