Sean Ludford is a regular contributor to TaylorEason.com and has a funny and informative website, Bevx.com
Van Gogh has quietly become the master of flavors in the Vodka world. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the brand’s first offering was a gin. Gin, being the original flavored vodka, is made by carefully infusing natural botanicals – flavors – into a pure spirit. Van Gogh seems to create their flavors with the soul of a gin maker carefully balancing natural flavors to create true aromatics and taste experiences that capture the essence of their ingredients.
Van Gogh is made in small batches at the Royal Dirkzwager Distillery in Schiedam, Holland. While the brand is just a decade in age, this distillery has been creating great spirits for well over 100 years. Each of Van Gogh’s 19 flavors, as well as their original vodka and gin, are crafted by Master Distiller Tim Vos.
The Espresso Vodka is made from fresh cracked Columbian beans with a subtle compliment of cocoa. The result is wonderfully pure creating aromatics that are rarely found in coffee based spirits. If you close your eyes you can actually believe that you are nosing a chilled espresso. The palate has just enough coffee bitterness to add balance and style. We rarely get excited about flavored vodka (let’s face it, most are just awful) but the efforts from Van Gogh never disappoint.
Tasting Notes:
Crystal clear. The nose is filled with scents of dark coffee with accents of dairy cream and brown sugar and a hint of vanilla. The palate echoes the nose offering true espresso flavors being less sweet than expected, which is a good thing, being very pleasing on its own but allowing for an infinite number of cocktail possibilities. Rating: 4 stars out of 5. $27.00
I love this vodka. It’s really sipping vodka. I keep it in the freezer and drink it straight from a shot glass. The flavor intensifies when it is very cold. It has a great flavor and my glass is usually sticky when finished. I wonder if the makers add sugar to it? There is no indication of added sugar on the bottle.
Does the espresso vodka actually have brown sugar in it?
Mixes well with espresso martinis.