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Grey Goose Vodka
About Grey Goose Vodka
Grey Goose Vodka is produced by Grey Goose – a France based spirits brand. Founded in 1997 by Sidney Frank and François Thibault, they began with a focus on creating vodka with less neutrality and more distinct flavor. Grey Goose was bought out by Bacardi in 2004.
It is made using high quality Picardie wheat that is single origin and non-GMO. The wheat is milled on site, before going through a saccharification process, and then fermented using a custom system they call a “cascade”. Grey Goose is only distilled once, with the goal of preserving the character of the wheat.
The pure, natural spring water used is sourced from a well in Gensac-la-Pallue, where it has already been naturally filtered by limestone. It is then filtered again using double reverse osmosis, before being added to the spirit. The mixture then goes through a filtration process using cellulose and active carbon. It is bottled at 80 proof.
Bottle Specs
❖ ABV: 40%
❖ Distillery: Grey Goose Distillery
❖ Aging: none
❖ Price Point: moderate price
My Tasting notes
I took a whiff of this vodka, and scent was very ethanol-heavy. Every few sniffs, I got a fleeting hint of bread, but this was not super consistent.
I took my first sip, and the front end was nice and smooth for about a millisecond. There was a burst of alcohol flavor on the tongue, followed by a distinct vodka flavor that transported me back to my very first experience with cheap off-brand vodka in college. As I continued, I found that this flavor note remained consistent, and along with it my absolute disgust.
Cocktail
For my cocktail I wanted to try out the French Martini! Funnily enough, this cocktail was actually invented in New York in the 80’s – which is fitting given that Grey Goose was created specifically with American consumers in mind, even though it is French.
French Martini
Ingredients
- 2oz vodka
- 0.5oz Chambord liqueur
- 0.5oz pineapple juice
- garnish: fresh raspberry
Instructions
- Add the ingredients to a shaker with ice, and shake until chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a chilled glass.
Inside of a cocktail, I found that the vodka really took away from my enjoyment of the drink. The raspberry garnish was nice on the nose, and the fruit notes from the Chambord and the pineapple juice seemed interesting together. However, the earthiness of the grain notes just seemed to clash with the fruit notes, and the vodka flavor was overall just too much. Towards the end of the drink, the vanilla notes from the Chambord combined with the grain notes and created the illusion of a rancid chocolate flavor.
Bottom Line
RATING: 1/5
At the end of the day, I was extremely disappointed with Grey Goose Vodka. Given the brand’s reputation, I had high hopes for this bottle, and was genuinely excited to try it for the first time.
However, I found it to be absolutely disgusting. In fact, it reminded me of the 8 dollar off-brand vodka in a plastic bottle that I bought on my 21st birthday a little over a decade ago. It was the bottle that made me decide I hated vodka for about 6 straight years. As for the vodkas I’ve reviewed so far on the blog, Grey Goose is definitely my least favorite.
In all fairness, Grey Goose‘s aim with this product was to create a vodka that is not as neutral as others, and in that they have succeeded. It is very flavorful. However, it is not an appealing flavor, and I would not feel comfortable recommending it to others.
As always, drink responsibly.
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