Can good marketing sometimes be the distinguishing factor for some of the things we buy? Sure. And one of those things is vodka.
After googling it I found that paying more for a vodka doesn’t mean you’ll get a better vodka.
Here’s one example of not getting more by paying more, someone said: “Our second experiment demonstrated approximately equal preferences for Pavlova and Ketel One. Although Pavlova contains 3-5% less alcohol by volume than Ketel One, it is also 70% cheaper, so it would seem a clear winner.”
I looked at a few opinions and articles, and the one I thought was the best was from 2005 in the NYT, the gist of it was this, “…Smirnoff (is) at the top of our list, ahead of many other names that are no doubt of higher status in stylish bars and lounges…After the 21 vodkas were sipped and the results compiled, the Smirnoff was our hands-down favorite.” Pretty strong recommendation.
The tasters from the NYT couldn’t try all 300 vodkas available at the time so, “our tasting included 5 of the 10 best-selling unflavored vodkas in the United States and the 5 best-selling imported vodkas…”
They unexpectantly found that,”Some of those names did not even make our Top 10. Grey Goose from France, one of the most popular vodkas, was felt to lack balance and seemed to have more than a touch of sweetness. Ketel One from the Netherlands, another top name, was felt to be routine and sharp.”
Different sources for vodka were tasted, “Most spirits can be made only from certain prescribed ingredients, but vodka can be distilled from just about anything that can be fermented into alcohol: grains, vegetables, even fruits. Our tasting included vodkas made from wheat, rye and potatoes, even a couple that used grapes.”
The 2005 vodka prices in NYT article, “ranged from a low of $13 for the Smirnoff to a high of $34 for Belvedere…” And that’s for a spirit with “the government definition of tasteless and odorless.”
The NYT vodka tasters describe Smirnoff’s taste as classic and declared it the winner of the taste test. So it turns out that because of effective marketing you might feel a vodka is better if you pay more for it.
Price is what you pay and the value is what you get from it. Unless you’re not concerned with impressing someone, just order Smirnoff.