Unless you’re from the country of Moldova (or know someone from there), chances are you don’t know exactly where it is on a map. This Eastern European nation lies tucked between Romania and Ukraine, where its picturesque countryside attracts visitors who come for its bucolic vibe — those who actually know its geographic location, that is. While many may know Moldova for its wine, this former Soviet republic also produces vodka, a remnant of being under Russian rule for almost two centuries. And Moldovan vodka (or “vodca,” as they spell it) is ready to introduce its creators’ country to America, one cocktail at a time.
Exclusiv Vodka is proudly produced in Moldova and is distilled from wheat, which doesn’t sound like a big distinction from other brands until your realize that many of the mass-market vodka giants are merely distilled from “grain,” a broader, more generic term for the overall stock they may use. Distilling from wheat specifically does makes a winning difference — Exclusiv Vodka won a Double Gold Medal at the 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, after all — and it’s most obvious before you even taste it. One whiff from the bottle and it’s evident that this is a much cleaner spirit when compared to bigger brands; it’s almost odorless.
As for the taste: “It’s one of the best I’ve had,” says Jarrod Spillers, friend and spirits enthusiast who tried the Moldovan vodka with me and a few other friends during an impromptu vodka-tasting soirée I hosted to sample Exclusiv’s line for this review. I agreed with him; Exclusiv’s unflavored vodka has a clean, smooth taste from start to finish, with no overpowering aftertaste when having it on the rocks — our control cocktail for tasting the vodka for what it is, without any extraneous flavors or mixers.
Speaking of extra flavors, the Moldovan Exclusiv Vodka company is stepping up their game in America with the introduction of three new flavored vodkas this summer: berry, coconut and peach. One whiff from each of those bottles is quite a different story from the unflavored.
Each of the scents — berry, coconut and peach — is so strong when it escapes the bottle, that it’s like smelling those flavor-scented magic markers you had as a kid, where the purple had such a deliberate “grape” aroma that you just wanted to lick the marker. (I did, anyway.) With that said, these flavors seemed unnaturally forced, although the bottle claims they use a “natural basis and unique technological production process [to] secure the transparency, specific aroma and perfectly soft taste” of each flavor.
“This tastes like Kool-Aid,” said Jarrod, who wasn’t a fan. I concurred.
“I would drink this with some soda water,” chimed in Lana Price, giving a female perspective on the flavored vodka, without any other flavors mixed in. We added soda water, which diluted the overpowering flavor to a palatable level.
Final Verdict: 5 (out of 5) stars, unflavored; 3, flavored.
Unanimously, Exclusiv’s regular vodka was definitely praise-worthy — and at $9.99 a bottle, quite a bargain. That same low price point is driving the company’s push for the new flavored vodkas, which is a good thing since, in the opinion of a small group of people, they might be too sweet for some tastes. However, you could always mix the flavored vodkas with juices and soda — and most people will, I assume — for there are countless ways to have a vodka cocktail. I assume the coconut vodka would blend well with a piña colada, and the berry into a Cosmo. When the strong forced flavor is forced to play with others, that’s when things get interesting.
In the end, preference and taste for a specific vodka is up to the individual, and you should repeatedly try it until you find out what you like. Just remember that you shouldn’t get too drunk if you have to write a review about it in the morning (oops). If not, continue to raise your glasses and say “cheers” as they do in Moldova: “Noroc!”
Erik Trinidad is the author of Fancy Fast Food: Ironic Recipes with No Bun Intended, based off his popular food humor blog, fancyfastfood.com.
check this…
[...]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated information, nevertheless genuinely really worth taking a search, whoa did one study about Mid East has got much more problerms also [...]…
Best hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh…
[...]the time to read or pay a visit to the subject material or web pages we’ve linked to below the[...]…
Title…
[...]always a significant fan of linking to bloggers that I appreciate but really don’t get a great deal of link appreciate from[...]…
Looking around…
I like to surf around the online world, regularly I will go to Digg and follow thru…
Title…
[...]The facts mentioned in the article are a few of the very best out there [...]…
phil fischer…
Yet another issue is video games can be serious anyway with the major focus on mastering rather than amusement. Although, there is an entertainment element to keep your sons or daughters engaged, every game is normally designed to develop a specific ex…
Title…
[...]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a handful of unrelated information, nonetheless genuinely really worth taking a appear, whoa did 1 find out about Mid East has got much more problerms at the same time [...]…
Terry Lumsden Tacoma Attorney…
[...]please visit the web pages we comply with, like this 1, because it represents our picks in the web[...]…
Title…
[...]The details mentioned in the write-up are some of the very best available [...]…
Increase sales…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]…
Title…
[...]we prefer to honor many other net websites on the web, even though they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Beneath are some webpages worth checking out[...]…
Text The Romance Back Review…
[...]The data mentioned within the article are several of the top offered [...]…
Title…
[...]although internet sites we backlink to beneath are considerably not related to ours, we really feel they may be actually really worth a go by, so have a look[...]…
rs gold…
[...]usually posts some pretty exciting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[...]…
Free Pinterest Bot…
[...]that will be the finish of this write-up. Here you will find some internet sites that we think you?ll value, just click the hyperlinks over[...]…
Laminine…
[...]Here is a great Blog You might Find Exciting that we Encourage You[...]…
Title…
[...]that would be the finish of this article. Here you will discover some internet sites that we feel you will value, just click the links over[...]…
nail printer…
[...]below you will come across the link to some web pages that we assume you’ll want to visit[...]…
erotic massage london…
Another thing is that when looking for a good on the web electronics store, look for web stores that are regularly updated, preserving up-to-date with the most recent products, the perfect deals, and also helpful information on services. This will ensu…
Maryland Child Care…
[...]always a big fan of linking to bloggers that I really like but really don’t get quite a bit of link adore from[...]…
Payday Game Board…
[...]we prefer to honor many other web web pages on the web, even if they aren?t linked to us, by linking to them. Underneath are some webpages worth checking out[...]…
iranian news…
[...]Here are a few of the websites we recommend for our visitors[...]…
Title…
[...]very couple of internet sites that occur to be comprehensive beneath, from our point of view are undoubtedly effectively worth checking out[...]…
Yahoo results…
While browsing Yahoo I found this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Title…
[...]we came across a cool web page that you just may delight in. Take a search if you want[...]…
Internetreputation.com…
[...]check beneath, are some absolutely unrelated sites to ours, nevertheless, they may be most trustworthy sources that we use[...]…
affiliate business…
Thanks for the points shared on your own blog. Yet another thing I would like to state is that weight-loss is not information about going on a fad diet and trying to lose as much weight as possible in a set period of time. The most effective way to she…
naples photographer…
[...]that would be the end of this article. Right here you will discover some internet sites that we believe you will enjoy, just click the hyperlinks over[...]…
Sameer Jejurikar…
…
Wooden Recurve Bows…
Furthermore, i believe that mesothelioma cancer is a scarce form of melanoma that is often found in people previously exposed to asbestos. Cancerous tissues form within the mesothelium, which is a shielding lining that covers the majority of the body’…
Computer Repair Tacoma…
[...]Wonderful story, reckoned we could combine a couple of unrelated data, nonetheless truly really worth taking a look, whoa did a single study about Mid East has got much more problerms also [...]…
penny…
[...]the time to read or take a look at the content or internet sites we have linked to below the[...]…
Fly Tying Vises…
[...]just beneath, are a lot of completely not connected web pages to ours, nevertheless, they’re surely really worth going over[...]…
General Surgery Residencies…
[...]we came across a cool site that you might get pleasure from. Take a search when you want[...]…
The Slave of the Husband…
Searching for ahead to researching further from you afterward!……
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here today, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Title…
[...]below you’ll locate the link to some internet sites that we feel it is best to visit[...]…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing today I noticed a great post about…
buy fast Youtube views…
[...]usually posts some really interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[...]…
Title…
[...]usually posts some extremely interesting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[...]…
Surgery Residents…
[...]just beneath, are a lot of entirely not associated web-sites to ours, even so, they are surely really worth going over[...]…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing yesterday I saw a excellent article concerning…
Title…
[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]…
Title…
[...]one of our guests a short while ago encouraged the following website[...]…
online marketing training…
[...]very handful of websites that happen to be comprehensive below, from our point of view are undoubtedly very well worth checking out[...]…
Title…
[...]the time to read or go to the content or sites we’ve linked to beneath the[...]…
phoenix attorney andrew ling…
[...]usually posts some quite exciting stuff like this. If you are new to this site[...]…
Vodka…
[...]we came across a cool website that you just may possibly get pleasure from. Take a appear in the event you want[...]…
here…
I have observed that online education is getting common because attaining your degree online has developed into popular selection for many people. Numerous people have not necessarily had a possibility to attend a traditional college or university howe…
apple iphone 5 preis…
Ideal operate you might have performed, this web site is basically cool with great info. Time is God’s strategy for retaining all the things from taking place simultaneously….