By
George Brozowski
King
Sobieski of Poland could be a very distant unrelated
relative of mine, after all my family comes from Poland and
my last name also ends in "ski" so we do have a
lot in common. And besides, vodka just happens to me one of
my favorite drinks so that deepens the connection even further.
On the other hand I could pay one of those ancestry sites
a bunch of money and they would inconclusively probably prove
I was the illegitimate bastard son of King Sobieski's 7th
mistress and unrightful heir to his throne and vodka. Oh well,
I guess I'll just drink this vodka before Bruce Willis comes
by and punches me out. Yup Bruce is the spokesperson for Sobieski,
go figure; it's really a small die hard world after all. Maybe
I'm really related to Bruce, yeah right, I'm barely related
to my own parents.
Holy
cow this stuff is only around $11.00 per bottle yet it's made
from Dankowski Rye and continuously distilled in a column
still to provide maximum smoothness. The flavored vodkas are
a bit light on the alcohol at 70 proof but it should still
get the job done. The Cytron or citrus flavored vodka has
a very thick yet zesty nose. These lemons must be picked for
their thick oily skins. There's more of a bass note to the
nose rather than a high note. On the palate it turns right
around and presents the fresh high note first and then is
followed by the oily bass. It coats the tongue uniformly while
supplying a stimulating yet smooth lemony tingle. The finish
is medium with the brightness of the lemon zest lingering
with no alcohol residue. It is very smooth and slightly sweet
and yet crisp. On the rocks the crispness of the lemon takes
a giant step forward and it tastes just like the glass had
been rimmed by a lemon peel. This vodka makes a pretty darned
good martini with a twist even without the actual twist. This
is definitely vodka that can compete with the big super premium
players and at just a fraction of their cost and yet with
all of the taste.
Next
up is the Toasted Coconut vodka; the nose is spot on coconut
with a bit of vanilla and almond toast in the back with very
little alcohol. It is very clean and distinctly coco nutty.
On the palate the coconut remains forward and quite sweet
and a bit toasty while stalked in the shadows by the vanilla
and almond flavors. The finish is medium in duration leaving
a nice taste of coconut behind. On the rocks all the flavors
seem to coalesce harmoniously leaving muted flavors of coconut
and vanilla and almond swimming together in unison.
This also makes for an interesting martini featuring subtle
flavors with a really laid back approach. Again, for the price
it's a tasty bargain.
OK,
up next is the Sobieski Black Cherry. The nose is very black
cherry like with a touch of citrus and almost no alcohol.
On the palate the black cherry comes forward considerably
and is medium in body and a bit oily but pleasant and smooth.
The citrus then vanishes completely and is replaced by a faint
amaretto taste. The flavor is neither overwhelming nor underwhelming
and just about right and nicely balanced with the vodka. The
finish is smooth and fruity and leaves an aftertaste most
closely resembling chocolate covered cherries. On the rocks
the palate definitely leans in the direction of chocolate
and cherries but continues its balancing act without losing
a step. This might really make a nice dessert drink replacing
a mild port.
Speaking of dessert drinks, up next is the lemon merinque
flavored Sobieski vodka. For the life of me I can't imagine
what would have possessed these normally sane Polish distillers
to produce this insane flavor but here goes! The nose directly
from the bottle is like a cakey, doughey Polish doughnut (paczki)
that might be hiding a lemony filling. It immediately does
a one eighty when poured into a snifter and completely transforms
into a sort of citrusy, lemony pudding with barely any trace
of cake or dough or crust. On the palate the first impression
is one of sugar followed by a trace of citrus but not piquant
like lemon but rather more thick and oily like orange. If
I concentrate on the flavors I finally get a touch of dough.
I suppose if you really gave it a whole lot of time, effort
and concentration you might convince yourself that this tastes
like lemon meringue but it would take a whole lot of time,
effort and concentration. On the rocks it's all citrus flavors
with not even a hint of dough or cake followed by a sugary
back. In either case the finish is medium in length, sweet,
citrusy and smooth.
Well,
I saved what I assumed could be the ultimate dessert vodka
of the bunch for last but certainly not the least; the Karamel
flavored Sobieski vodka. The nose certainly has caramel up
front followed by coffee and nougat and is thick and creamy
with just a bit of alcohol bringing up the rear. On the palate
it tastes like melting caramel with a touch of chocolate and
coffee with the vodka ending the flavor profile with a touch
of tingle. I'll be damned, this stuff actually tastes a lot
like a creamy caramel, but for the life of me I can't figure
out why I would want my vodka to taste like this, but full
steam ahead anyway. Go figure, on the rocks it tastes just
the same but a bit toned down. The finish makes me feel like
I had just finished a couple of caramel bites and not drank
vodka.
In
summary, if that's possible with such a diverse batch of flavored
vodkas, I just might add the Cytron, Toasted Coconut and Black
Cherry to my bar but I would go out and buy a Lemon Meringue
pie from my local baker if that urge ever struck me and accompany
it with a few shots of straight up Sobieski vodka. I can't
even figure out what in the hell I would do with caramel flavored
vodka, even good caramel flavored vodka so I'll leave that
one open to you for suggestions. Either way there's still
a lot to enjoy here, go mix it up.
For
more Rants & Raves click
here.
http://www.vodkasobieski.com/
