Happy Booze Year! Ring In 2011 With Vodka. Taste Driving Pinky & Exclusiv Vodkas.

V for Vodka!

The emails for vodka samples have been pouring in since I chatted about vodka with the Nicolas at Nic's Martini Lounge for a radio segment. I brought a couple of the sample bottles to a holiday party recently to see what my friends would think. I'm such a good alky pal.

The first was an intriguing bottle called Pinky Botanicals. It's a wheat vodka from Sweden made with 12 botanicals including violet and rose petals. It is extraordinarily aromatic and, at first blush, reminds me of a feminine, floral perfume. Almost like hugging a perfumey granny when she's done one vodka shot too many, in a good way though.

Because of its strong floral profile, Pinky probably isn't the best vodka to drink straight or as a shot. It's likely best experienced as a mixing vodka for well-crafted cocktails. Definitely do not waste this super premium stuff on a vodka and cran.

Next, we sampled Exclusiv Vodca with a "c". (In the U.S. it's with a "k" on the bottles.) The design of the bottle wasn't nearly as Chanel No. 5 as Pinky but what really impressed swirled within the bottle.

Exclusiv is a wheat vodka from the exotic land of Moldova and was also tested straight up. My immediate impression was its exquisitely smooth taste, followed by a gentle fruitiness and a soft finish. I really enjoyed this vodka. It's actually quickly becoming my favorite second only to Żubrówka, the bison grass vodka.

Although this tasting wasn't at all a comparison of the two very different spirits (in fact, they couldn't be any more different), Exclusiv is clearly the one to be enjoyed on its own while Pinky is for fancy vodka cocktails.

Both Exclusiv and Pinky are fine examples of vodka and should be appreciated for their individual strengths and characteristics. I'm just happy that the hangover wasn't so bad.

Happy 2011!

Pinky website.
Exclusiv website.

See the vodka taste test in HD!

Pinky & Exclusiv Vodka Tasting from Eddie Lin on Vimeo.