I received a bottle of Five Lakes Vodka for review and, oddly, the first thing I did was crack open the bottle, pour some on my hands and rub it around. What you ask? Yeah, my goal was to see how much sugar I was going to “taste” in the product by figuring out how much is within the core spirit itself. Do this with an “ultra premium” vodka and you may find a slight oily and sticky sensation on the hands. Why? Added sugar to bring down the sensitive alcohol “punch” you can get in the spirit.
Five Lakes Vodka does bring a nice little sweetness in the mid-palate with a fairly clean finish. There is a bit of a “vodka like punch” in the finishing which isn’t too abnormal for a vodka that doesn’t seem to bring any additional sugars and is sitting at room temperature. The finish brings a bit of a bite that isn’t harsh or abrasive.
The nose of Five Lakes Vodka is very neutral with a bit of ethanol aroma that rises in the glass (even with a bit of water to break up the alcohol and open the aroma). There isn’t any real nuances to the aroma which matches closer to the actual flavor–not extremely nuanced in complexity.
Again, we’re talking about a vodka here, the complex nuances are not going to be extreme or too exciting. I find some vodka more exciting than others purely on their distillate (I just happen to like a potato vodka and even the fruit distillates are fun). Doing a simple google search for pricing around the Net shows Five Lakes Vodka coming in around USD$17 which is a nice price point. The only downfall, at the time of this writing, is the sheer lack of availability online at many stores–perhaps that will change over time.
You will no doubt find Five Lakes Vodka plays perfect in a cocktail by bringing out just a bit more “punch” for when vodka is called for yet doesn’t bring any off-oder or harshness in the finish. While there is a hint of sweetness in the core spirit, it will no doubt be lost utilizing anything but ice (straight) so don’t expect huge contributions other than ABV and punch in your cocktails.
As I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, vodka isn’t always the most dynamic and complex spirit of choice so most people will find they can pick a brand they love and stick with it. For those looking for just that brand and are cost conscious seek out Five Lakes Vodka as it will not disappoint in its goal to be a vodka that meets the true definition.
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