Finlandia Vodka Review

So I was at ye olde Ralph’s yesterday going on what you laymen might call a “Beer Run.” We picked up three grande bottles of Foxhorn wine (delectable by the way…but that is for a different review) and a thirty pack of Tecate, but still had one slot left in our adult beverage roster.

Obviously we had to bring some heavy hitter to the party. With beer and wine you can relax and kick back, but we were looking to really get bacchanalian this night. After some deliberation we realized that, of all the hard liquors, vodka was offensive to the fewest people. Ahh but there was the matter of the budget! We had only 13 dollars left to spend, and a serious choice to be made.

Popov or “Prestige” (I use that term very lightly) vodka is the cheapest of the bunch. The king of the bottom shelf, it is infamous for its almost sulfuric-acid-like burn and aftertaste similar to what fear and despair must taste like if they could be distilled through a strainer of nuclear waste and general sewage.

Needless to say, we weren’t that desperate.

Searching for a middling brand–we’re no Grey Goose afficionados here–we came upon Skyy (is it two y’s? I dunno who cares, really) and Asbolut. They both slightly exceeded our price range, sadly.

The decision continued to be delayed until my hunting eyes fell upon a foreign bottle that I’d never seen before. Upon the label the word “Finlandia” was emblazoned in elegant script. Using my keen intuition and analytical skills, I determined that this vodka was from Finland.

I know, right?

Because I’d never tried it before, I figured its purchase would have to come with a blog review. So here we are!

After getting back to the apartment and icing it for a bit in the freezer, we were ready for the moment of truth. The first shot went down my gullet, and my initial impression was…”JESUS this tastes like ass!” However, don’t let that discourage you, curious shopper; you must realize that most hard alcohol, except for the top shelf stuff, makes me think that very same thought. This was an expected turn of events.

Happily enough, what was missing from the experience was both the feeling of acidic flames in my esophagus and the aftertaste from hell. That’s two advantages over Popov already! This may have been because we were chasing it with organic Mango juice from Trader Joes, though…

Anyway there it is. If you’re in the mood to get your potato on for a bargain, go for the Finlandia. I believe it was only 8.99 at Ralph’s.

Drink on my friends!

–nicky p–