Look in the vodka section of your local liquor store and you'll find vodkas that are wildly divergent in terms of quality and price. And the expensive ones aren't always the best, either. The best vodkas are smooth, crisp and delicious. The bad ones? They might as well be paint thinner. Don't try to guess which is which. Here are popular vodka brands ranked worst to best.
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00:00Whether you like vodka straight or in a cocktail, there are lots of brands to choose from.
00:06Let's look at some of the most popular brands of vodka on the market.
00:09We'll uncover which ones you should keep at your own home bar, and which brands you can skip.
00:14Vodka, in theory, should be smooth. There shouldn't be any bitterness or burn,
00:18making it easy to down even without additions.
00:22Unfortunately, no one told Burnettes. This budget vodka is popular because of a completely affordable
00:28$10 or $11 price tag. That makes it perfect for the college student who's looking for a
00:33way to party on a budget. No one is drinking this for the taste.
00:37Oh, yours smells even worse. I'll be right back. Yours smells even worse.
00:45Drinking Burnettes straight will leave your throat feeling a bitter burn.
00:48Sure, you can try to hide the roughness of Burnettes taste with a mixer,
00:52but that's just going to ruin your mixer. Plus, that bitter aftertaste and burning
00:56sensation will still come through. This vodka will leave you with a very deep sense of regret.
01:02New Amsterdam's foray into the world of vodka is a fairly recent one, hitting shelves in 2011.
01:08Over the following years, it's become increasingly popular, but we can't figure out why.
01:13Part of the allure of New Amsterdam is the fact that you can pick up a liter bottle for between
01:17$13 and $18. We get it. That's a great deal. Unfortunately for New Amsterdam, that price
01:23point doesn't negate the fact that it's just kind of mediocre. And the flavors are nothing to write
01:29home about. The variety of choices is pretty standard, and they're not really strong enough
01:33to add serious flavor to most drinks. There are plenty of other affordable vodkas out there that
01:38are much more versatile and just better. We know that ranking Grey Goose toward the
01:43worst end of our collection of popular vodkas might not be a popular move,
01:47but we're doing it anyway. When it comes to taste, Grey Goose is respectable. It's smooth,
01:52and it has no overwhelming flavors or boozy scents.
01:56The extraordinary belongs to those who make it."
01:59Imagine drinking water that's been so heavily filtered through charcoal,
02:03there's just a shadow of that charcoal flavor left behind. And that's what you'll get with
02:07Grey Goose. Our beef with this vodka comes with the price point. Consumers can expect
02:12to pay anywhere from $40 to $60 a bottle for this premium vodka. That's insanity.
02:17Sure, there are times when you get what you pay for, but occasionally,
02:20you're just paying for the name and a neat-looking bottle. Grey Goose cruises along,
02:25secure in the knowledge that anyone who's looking to impress is going to fork over some serious cash
02:30just for the name on the bottle. There are better vodkas for a much better price.
02:35Another fancy vodka that's surprisingly low in our rankings, Ciroc was founded in 2003,
02:40but it wasn't until rapper Sean Combs got on board that the brand really took off.
02:45Because it's made from grapes, this vodka has a unique, almost citrus-like taste that's not
02:50terrible. However, it can be an acquired taste. Plus, it also makes this vodka either an excellent
02:56compliment to some mixers or a terrible one for others. And here's where we take issue with this
03:01one. First, at around $30 for a 750-milliliter bottle, it's on the pricey side for what you're
03:07getting. And second, anyone who follows Combs and his Ciroc marketing might think this is the
03:12only option out there for gluten-free vodka. Their marketing makes a huge deal out of it,
03:17including posts by DJ Khaled that claimed it was the only gluten-free vodka. Truth in
03:22Advertising, however, reported that all vodka is gluten-free unless there is gluten in the
03:27added flavoring. Bottom line? We're taking points away from misleading advertising and shady marketing.
03:34Chances are pretty good that most liquor stores will have entire shelves devoted to the many
03:39flavors of Three Olives. This British vodka certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes
03:44to the neat-looking bottle and the variety. But unfortunately, what comes out of the bottle
03:48doesn't justify even the completely reasonable $17 to $20 price. The problem with Three Olives
03:55starts with the smell. Open some higher-ranking vodkas and take a whiff, you should get a light,
04:00fresh scent, or the smell of whatever flavor you're opening. Doing this with Three Olives is
04:04sort of like opening a bottle of nail polish remover. Unless you're completely hiding this
04:09one with some seriously strong mixers, you can definitely get more bang for your buck elsewhere.
04:15If you're looking for a good, solid vodka to keep on the shelf in the kitchen from mixing
04:18up a vodka cranberry or vodka tea while you're cooking dinner, Smirnoff is a completely reliable
04:24and respectable option. We love the $11 to $15 price tag, but the standard, non-flavored version
04:29is so versatile that it doesn't matter what kind of vodka cocktail you're in the mood for.
04:34Sorry to eavesdrop, guys, but look, I'm not some unrelatable movie star. I'm just like you.
04:40I drink Smirnoff.
04:42As long as your cocktail has other mixers to cut the boozy strength, you'll be golden.
04:46If you opt for a vodka tonic or a vodka martini, this isn't your bottle.
04:50It's just a bit too much for that. When it comes to the different varieties of Smirnoff,
04:54there's good and bad. Their Infusions line is a delicious way to try something different,
04:59but their flavors can be tough. Everyone's palate is different, so we'll put it this way.
05:03Even if you love one, that doesn't mean you're going to like the others.
05:07While they say they're all made with natural flavors,
05:10some are definitely much higher on the sweeter-pucker scale. We're looking at you,
05:14Green Apple. At the end of the day, that means you might find a flavor that you really like,
05:18but there's still the chance you're going to be disappointed if you branch out.
05:22Belvedere is another top-shelf vodka, and it's the one we'd recommend if you're looking for
05:26a special vodka to impress at a party. Going to dinner at the boss' house? Forget wine,
05:31take Belvedere. Belvedere's price point is generally a little lower than other top-shelf
05:36vodkas. You can expect to spend around $30 for a liter bottle, but that's not all it has going
05:41for it. Since it's made with rye, Belvedere's has a bit more flavor than you might expect.
05:45Also on the positive side are their flavors, which you can definitely pick up and know you'll
05:50be getting with the same Belvedere base. Those flavors aren't going to take away from the
05:53familiar mouthfeel. It's an excellent vodka for almost any cocktail, especially smaller,
05:59lighter ones where you really want all the flavors to come through.
06:02So why is it not higher on our ranking? Belvedere puts out so many flavors and
06:06specialty releases that it might be tough to find your favorite once you pick one.
06:10Then again, we give high points for widespread, guaranteed availability.
06:15There are some liquors meant for sipping in front of a roaring fire while discussing
06:19things like classic literature. And then there's vodka. Vodka is meant to be fun,
06:23and when it comes to fun vodka, there's no one that does it quite like Pinnacle.
06:28Sure, there are standard flavors like citrus, raspberry, and peach, but if you're looking to
06:32treat yourself to something super fun, how about cake, or any one of their whipped varieties?
06:37And that's where Pinnacle does what they do really well. Not only are they reasonably priced
06:42at around $12 to $15 a bottle, they're also surprisingly well-balanced. Not too sweet,
06:47and no bitter sting. All their flavors are consistently good. They regularly release
06:52special editions that are really fun, and no matter what you're in the mood for,
06:56there's a Pinnacle to help guarantee you're never going to get bored with the same old stuff.
07:01Crystal Head might seem a little gimmicky, but celebrity endorsements and eye-catching
07:06bottles aside, what's inside is impressive. When Dan Aykroyd got on board with Crystal
07:11Head Vodka, they said the idea was,
07:13"...to create unique expressions of ultra-premium vodka that are completely additive-free."
07:18And they did it, making a vodka that has no questionable ingredients and a taste
07:23that's incredibly smooth. Reaching for a bottle of Crystal Head might make you feel like you're
07:28somehow buying into a celebrity marketing gimmick, or that people might think you're
07:31just reaching for the coolest-looking thing on the shelf. But who cares what they think?
07:35It's good vodka. There's a bonus to those bottles, too. They're pretty awesome for
07:39repurposing. The only reason this doesn't rank higher is the price. You can expect to pay $50
07:44to $60 for the standard Crystal Head, while the other products just go up from there.
07:49While it's great for a gift or special occasion,
07:51most of us just don't want to spend that kind of cash on a regular basis.
07:55In 2019, Absolut sold a whopping 11.3 million cases of vodka. And given that each case contains
08:02nine liters, well, that's a lot of vodka. There's a good reason it's so popular, and that's because
08:08it's good. When it comes to respectable, middle-of-the-road vodkas, Absolut is one
08:12that you want to keep on your shelf. While the original blue is fine for juice mixers,
08:17it's not the original that got Absolut this high on our list. Instead, it's the flavors.
08:22Absolut has a ton of flavors, so there's going to be something here everyone loves.
08:26They also have no added sugar, and that means you can mix with any soda without ending up with a
08:31drink that's sickeningly sweet. It's an all-around solid choice, especially if you like fizzy drinks.
08:37Few stores have managed to build up an impressively devoted following quite like
08:41Costco. And it isn't just the store, it's the products, too. Kirkland Signature Liquor
08:46has gotten some pretty impressive accolades over the years, and that includes their Kirkland brand
08:51vodka. When we looked into the rumor that it's essentially Grey Goose vodka repackaged,
08:55we couldn't find anything to either confirm or deny it, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Grey Goose
09:00says the rumor isn't true, but given that Costco's response is silence, well, the case is still open
09:05as far as we're concerned. Our reason for not placing it higher on the list is that Kirkland
09:10vodka comes with a caveat. There are two different versions of Kirkland vodka, and you'd better be
09:15certain to get the right one. Opt for the American one, and you'll get something like water with a
09:20little alcohol. The French one is incredible, though, and we're not the only ones to think so.
09:25In taste test after taste test, Kirkland's French vodka, the one with the red label,
09:29gets lauded for having all the smooth taste of Grey Goose.
09:33Kettle One released a special 325th anniversary edition to celebrate this impressive birthday.
09:39You don't get to be a thriving business for that long without putting out a quality product.
09:44Looking for something to take to a dinner party? Something to keep on hand for those
09:47nights you and your significant other feel like making fancy cocktails? Something to
09:51pour over ice with a splash of tonic? Reach for the Kettle One.
09:55Would you bring the gentleman a Kettle One up, please?"
09:58Kettle One is straightforward and simple. While they have a couple of flavors,
10:02you're mostly going to see the original on shelves. Some vodkas don't need all the fancy
10:06flavors. You'll be spending a little more per bottle than other brands, but it's worth it.
10:11You can probably pick it up for less than you expect, too, making this an all-around win.
10:16It doesn't matter if you're looking for plain vodka or flavored,
10:20it's almost impossible to get better than Stolich Naya, or you can call it Stoli.
10:25Across the board, the same descriptors apply to practically any product in the Stoli lineup.
10:29These vodkas are incredibly smooth, there are no weird aftertastes or burns,
10:34and they're just as good in cocktails with any mixer or straight over ice.
10:38There are plenty of flavors to choose from, so it's almost a guarantee that there's something
10:42for everyone, although we have a particular soft spot for the blueberry. It also has an almost
10:48shockingly reasonable price point of between $15 and $19 a bottle.
10:52There's another reason we really like Stoli, too. Their Stoli honey is heavenly in a hot toddy.
10:57Stoli's honey has such a strong, smooth honey flavor that pouring a shot into your evening tea
11:02will seriously change your after-dinner drinks.
11:06Tito's started small, perfected their recipe and methods, and then went big.
11:10The aptly named Tito Beverage was originally a geologist, and his interest in groundwater
11:16quality got him thinking about making a vodka so smooth that you could drink it straight.
11:20Needless to say, they succeeded. More importantly,
11:23they've kept that high quality as they've continued to ramp up production.
11:27Tito's is so good, in fact, that this is one vodka you definitely don't want to
11:32disguise with fancy mixers. The simpler the drink, the better.
11:35And Tito's has a special place for dogs. Not only are their own personal dogs welcome at work,
11:40but their Vodka for Dog People program has saved countless lives,
11:44human and dog, by plucking dogs out of high-kill shelters and flying them
11:48where they need to go to find a happy, loving home. Well done on all fronts, Tito's.