Grey Goose Vodka

...to write a review on Grey Goose Vodka. Well there are actually three different reasons.

-Firstly I have seen this Vodka on the shelf in my local Asda and I have always been mesmerised by the design of its bottle. If ever there was a product which I would buy simply based on its packaging then a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka it would be.

-Secondly I have recently been presented with a 750cl bottle of this stuff and things ...
...a glass of "That Gay Grey Groose with Orange" on a recent outing to my local Wetherspoons.

The Background

Grey Goose Vodka is produced in the Cognac region of France where it is produced from the same century old traditions that are used to produce the finest Cognac spirit for which this area is most famous for. The secret to the unique taste of Grey Goose Vodka is said to lie in the fact that it is made from ... more

It may seem like an odd way to start a review on Vodka but I will begin by saying that I am not a very big fan of spirits and would sooner settle for a pint of chilled lager anytime.

So you may ask yourself why on earth have I decided to write a review on Grey Goose Vodka. Well there are actually three different reasons.

-Firstly I have seen this Vodka on the shelf in my local Asda and I have always been mesmerised by the design of its bottle. If ever there was a product which I would buy simply based on its packaging then a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka it would be.

-Secondly I have recently been presented with a 750cl bottle of this stuff and things always taste that little bit nicer when they haven't cost you any money

- Thirdly I was surprised to discover that no one else had reviewed this product and even more intriguing there wasn't even a Ciao category for it. That is why I asked the nice people at Ciao to add it as a product because when it comes to writing reviews I always enjoy a challenge

Finally just before I get onto the review some of you may be wondering about the strange choice of title for my review. Well it comes from the drunken mouth of a good friend of mine, Sally who recently asked for a glass of "That Gay Grey Groose with Orange" on a recent outing to my local Wetherspoons.

The Background

Grey Goose Vodka is produced in the Cognac region of France where it is produced from the same century old traditions that are used to produce the finest Cognac spirit for which this area is most famous for. The secret to the unique taste of Grey Goose Vodka is said to lie in the fact that it is made from the pure, natural spring water found in this region which has been washed down from the Alps and filtered through a porous limestone bed of rock.

Unlike most spirits Grey Goose is a relatively new creation and in fact it was only created in 1997 by Sidney Frank of the Sidney Frank Importing Company, based in New York. Sidney Frank's philosophy was simple, he believed that the American people were prepared to pay more for a quality product. Frank's reputation within the Industry was already established and he had become known as a "brand builder" with household names like Ancient Age and Dewar's White Label already under his belt.

And so on that day in 1997 Grey Goose Vodka was born, a new Vodka launched into the world with no history, no distillery and no bottling plant. In 2004 Sidney Frank sold the brand he had created just seven years earlier to Bicardi Ltd for over $2 Billion which is why today the 85 year old billionaire is listed amongst the top 100 richest people in the world.

The Packaging

If you haven't seen the bottle that this Vodka comes in then look out for it the next time you are passing the spirits section in your local supermarket or off license because it is quite unique. It is sold in 50ml, 375ml, 750ml, 1000ml and 1750ml bottles which all have the same design of a lightly frosted silver-grey bottle depicting three grey geese in flight with the French Alps in the background. Each bottle is handmade in a process which takes a staggering 30 hours.

The scene on the front of the bottle is blue and has been etched into the glass to give an optical illusion and a 3-D effect which makes you believe that the mountains are in the background behind the bottle and the Geese in flight are in front of the bottle. It is a fantastic trick of the eye.

Appearance & Taste

The contents inside the bottle is a clear transparent liquid which visually you could mistake for water if you ignore its aroma, but be warned because this Vodka contains 40% alcohol by volume which is equivalent to 80 percent proof and that's pretty much as high as it gets.

The first thing that you will notice when you pour the Vodka from the bottle into a glass is the aroma, it is by no means a strong smell but nonetheless it is very distinctive, but all the same quite hard to describe. I would describe the smell as quite sweet but with a slight hint of a burnt charcoal flavour.

The proof of the product is always in the taste but you just know that by the way that the product has been packaged it has quality written all over it. When it comes to Vodka I am not very experienced and always believed that this spirit was virtually tasteless which is why it was ideal to use as a mixer with Orange or other drinks. For the purpose of this review I did try a tiny amount of the Vodka neat, poured into a glass with a little bit of ice.

The taste was actually quite a pleasant surprise, it was quite sharp but very crisp and left virtually no aftertaste in the mouth. The hint of burnt charcoal is also evident in the taste but this is disguised by an aniseed flavour, which has just the right consistency, not too weak but strong enough to stimulate the taste buds.

My amateur opinion may not be worth much but I did find it to be quite a refreshing, pleasant taste. For a more professional verdict it is however worth noting that Grey Goose Vodka was the winner of the 1998 World Spirit Championships collecting a record breaking 96 votes out of 100 from a panel of spirit connoisseurs.

The Price

As I mentioned earlier the bottle in my possession was a gift, it had been bought duty free so I have no idea how much it cost but I have done a little bit of snooping around and found that a 750ml bottle of this size will cost you from between £29.99 to £35 which does make it very expensive.

Conclusion

A very nice drink but albeit a rather expensive one which is clearly marketed on its quality rather than price. My bottle will probably last me for the next ten years but it will certainly have pride and place at the front of my drinks cabinet.

Thank you for reading.

 

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