By
George Brozowski
First
off let me say that Vincent Van Gogh is my favorite artist.
I love his paintings and even traveled to Los Angeles one
summer to take in a once-in-a-lifetime show of his paintings
that were on loan from several other museums and private collections.
I was so moved by his work that I ended up spending the entire
day there. I also found him to be one of the most interesting
people to have ever lived right up there with the gonzo writer
Hunter S. Thompson. I even aspired to emulate these crazy
wunderkinds in my youth but couldn't quite compete at their
level of craziness and brilliance. After all what's not to
like about these two; artistic genius powering unstable minds
to the brink of insanity, dangerous flirtations with mind
altering substances, heavy drinking, self mutilation (off
with his ear!), syphilis, gonorrhea (those must have been
wild Absinthe fueled Parisian nights), and of course they
both committed suicide. Lives apparently lived fully and well
spent!! OK enough of that, on to the business at hand.
Secondly
let me state that Vincent Van Gogh Vodka,
just the plain old unflavored variety, is absolutely one of
my all time favorite super premium vodkas and one of just
a few in that rarified and stratified category that really
belong there. It is distilled in Holland at the Royal Dirkzwager
Distillery that has been family owned and passed down from
fathers to sons since 1879.
Thirdly
let me state that, just for the life of me, I can't figure
out why in the world those wonderful people in Holland would
start screwing around with a superb solid gold product. Unfortunately
I have had horrible encounters with flavored hooch of all
sorts over the decades that have left me jaded and possessing
indelible toxic scars not only on my palate but in my brain
as well. However, I know that as a professional alcoholic
I have my duties to fulfill and must muster on if only for
the sake of all those amateur alcoholics out there who depend
on my palate to protect theirs.
I
opened the bottle of Vincent Van Gogh Cool Peach Vodka
and thrust my nose into its neck and was immediately transported
to a peach orchard. It was also very reminiscent of peaches
that have been sitting in a basket in the sun. They get warm
and slightly over ripe and give off a very sensuous and earthy
peach musk that just compels you to sink your teeth into their
soft flesh. There is absolutely no alcohol forward or anywhere
in the nose. There is just that essence of peach and it is
very natural and well rounded and precisely balanced. On the
palate it continues to please. It is, needless to say very,
very smooth and full bodied with true peach flavor in the
front accented by the vodka at the back which tempers the
fruit perfectly. There is no spice note nor pepper in the
finish, just and only that delicate peach taste that lingers
in the mouth to deliver a long and fruity finish. On the rocks
and even in a martini the peach flavor becomes nuanced and
remains balanced and yet manages to open up a bit and present
another delightful dimension. Magnificent!
The
Vincent Van Gogh Rich Dark Chocolate Vodka
was next. I don't know if you prefer dark European chocolate
over American milk chocolate or vice versa but I can tell
you the difference is quite discernable. Milk chocolate is
sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or
condensed milk and consists of up to 20% total dry cocoa solids;
Dark chocolate contains less milk and more cocoa with a minimum
of 25%. This vodka is definitely dark chocolate. As I inhale
the aroma I can almost taste the cocoa and sugar. The scent
seems to somehow be granular in nature almost as if I was
already eating a chocolate bar even though I was only inhaling
the aroma. What a wonderful trick to play on the senses. I
am not getting any ethanol or alcohol or vodka or anything
other than chocolate in the nose. The palate follows the nose
into dark chocolate heaven. Honestly it feels like I have
just bitten into a piece of dark chocolate that had a molten
middle of dark chocolate. Now I can really taste the cocoa,
sugar and the granularity is almost palpable on my tongue.
I finally get a bit of vodka in the finish but it is short
and leaves a long sweet chocolate finish. On the rocks and
in a martini (my favorite) it's a dessert drink that is smooth
and chocolaty and would be perfect with an assorted cheese
plate. Magnificent again!
These
are both 70 proof and about $31.00 per bottle and some of
the best super premium flavored vodkas you can get a hold
of and I recommend you get a hold of some and try them for
yourself. YUMMMMMM!!
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