Swedes don't really know how to make a good vodka.

Well, I mean compared to say what Russians or Poles make, cause Absolut is pretty much excellent when compared to US/UK crap.

The only Russian restaurant in town (Guangzhou) serves only two premium vodkas on its menu...Absolut and Skyy. Stoli is on the next tier down.
Stick a bottle of these three in the freezer and take a shot of each...you tell me which is the smoothest.

Is it correct to talk about a "saturated market" when talking about the market for vodka?

"Sodden" market, perhaps? And I still can't tell any difference between one brand of grain neutral spirits plus water and another.

Cranberry Vodka and lemonade, YUMMY!

The trendy new vodka is called "Bong."

The bottle is shaped like, well, you can guess. With a little breakout piece so you can repurpose the bottle for the obvious use.

Pretty decent quality vodka, besides.

I'm more of a Ketel One fan.

Stoli?

That's Russian equivalent of "Gordon".

Try Belvedere or Chopin.

Funny story I have about Belveder. I've had it, and thought it was just fine, thanks. My friend, who don't know much about booze, but know that nothing on beeravocate.com could *ever* be wrong, and I'm wrong if I should ever suggest otherewise based on my own personal experiance. I'm sure you know the type.

I was elected to go to the liquor stor and buy the supplies for a part. Bottle of Capt. Morgain, Bottle of Jack, and I was looking over the Vodka. This was right after the new year, and they had a 'collectors set' of 1 fifth of Belvedere, along with 20 shots of flavored Belvedere in the little airline bottles. It was on sale cheaper than the same size of Belvidere, because they had to make room on the shelf.

Well, it turns out the little airline bottles, and my BA friends declair they would *never* drink anything from that came in plastic bottle.

Fine by me. 6 people put in the same amount of mone, the other 5 didn't drink from one third of the liquor.

If only I liked vodka more (sorry Steve).

err. that should be "Well, it turns out the little airline bottles were plastic, not glass"

I think I already know the answer to this but:

Why is it that there is a trendy new vodka on the market every six months, but we've been saddled with the same "big three" gins (Beefeater, Tanqueray, Bombay) for an eternity?

As far as vods go, I've found that Skyy is comparable to a lot of more expensive brands. The other inexpensive vodkas (Stoli, Smirnoff, et al) are inferior.

Chris: Plenty of alternative gins out there, but they are not new. However, they are IMHO tastier and have more character than the big 3 you mention. To start, I suggest Boodles and Plymouth, both under $30, at least in Ga. Next maybe give Hendricks a shot, which is a little more expensive and has a distinctive character all its own. Old Raj is also a good one to try, but moves up the scale in terms of expense, coming in at about $55 here.

I don't have much of an opinion on Vodkas, except that I don't understand how one could use vodka to make a martini when gin is so much more interesting and tasty, at least to me. When I need vodka (rarely), Stoli has always done the trick.

Frankly, I don't think Absolut is any better than Skyy. Lately, I've really enjoyed Pinnacle (a French grain vodka). Which is, IMHO, better than Absolut and Skyy, and costs about $16.00.

With Absolut, you not only pay for the booze, but also that massive marketting campaign.

Ketel One and Grey Goose, for me.

Vodka is what the kids buy.

Gin is what martinis are made with.

/Gin Jingoism

Back when I was a Drunk (as opposed to a guy who has a drink), Absolut was my medicine of choice. Predictable and clean, like a First World pharmaceutical should be.

These days, I'm an ale guy. I'm fatter, but better-adjusted.

Vodka isn't terribly difficult to make well, compared to other spirits, thus there really are quite a few well made vodkas, in comparison to, say, whisky, whiskey, bourbon, or gin. I don't drink vodka much, since I usually find it not as interesting as the other distilled nectars, but most of the ones listed above are quite acceptable. I would suggest, however, that there are well-made vodkas distilled in the states. Shaker's, which is from Minnesota, and Tito's Texas Handmade Vodka are two that come to mind.

I can most heartily second the suggestion of Hendrick's gin. Hell, I'll drink it straight, and that's not true of Sapphire.

Can't abide Absolut or Skyy, myself; I'd rather drink Monopolowa or Luksusowa if I'm feelin' cheap, or Belvedere or Chopin if I'm not. Or Red Army if I can find it.

(Skyy is triple-distilled, which explains why it's flavourless, I guess... a proper vodka should actually have a wee bit of flavour to it.

Though not the sort of flavour that a vodka from Hood River has. Yes, I'm talking to you, Popov.)

Krolewska Vodka

I just found it again... I bought a bottle of this for a party a few years ago, and forgot who made it.

Great stuff - Polish-made.

I also has one of the nicest-looking bottles (like looking through a stained-glass window)

Gin-wise, it's Tanqueray Ten all the way, baby. Though I keep a bottle of Bombay Sapphire on hand for emergencies.

The aromatics in Tanqueray Ten are really, really, really, terrific.

Really.

French Vodka?!?!

I just can't go there...

Steve,
Drink gin, beat your wife/dog!
While I do prefer Grey Goose, it's far from a cost effective drink. Ketel One would be my everyday choice would it be $10 a 1.75 liter bottle less in cost (I'll buy every day at $29.95).
That said, my local liquor offering market has the really good Gvori Polish vodka at $20 +/-for the 1.75 ltr. bottle. Unless you're a pretentious brand name yuppie scum, you'll find everything to enjoy in a vodka with this one.
Mike
BTW, I forgot to mention, I'm an opinonated old fart who's been drinking longer than most of you have been alive.

Based on your subsequent posts, it looks like we all need to stock up.

One word:

Finlandia

The Finns know how to make vodka and kick Russian ass.

Best vodka: Pravda.

Best gin: Bombay Sapphire.

Disagree? Fine. YOU drink it. I will be over here mixing *good* drinks.

Here here for finlandia, the king of vodka. Not a thing wrong with absolut, it's just not .... finlandia