Full Review

Jean-Marc XO

Jean-Marc XO
Vodka

Category: Unflavored Vodka

Date Tasted:
Country: France
Alcohol: 40%
97 Points
Platinum Medal
Superlative
$59

Jean-Marc XO
Vodka

Category: Unflavored Vodka

Date Tasted:
Country: France
Alcohol: 40%
Clear color. Aromas and flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg sugar cookies, tonka bean and bison grass, mint green tea, and marzipan with a round, lively, bone-dry medium body and a polished, very complex, long finish displaying notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, five spice, and ginger, sweet pastry dough, fig, and cream. This incredible Vodka has a lot going on with a delectable nose and a nice creamy mouth feel that gives way to a lightly fruity aftertaste.

Tasting Info

Spirits Glass Style: Spicy & Complex
Aroma Aroma: vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg sugar cookies, tonka bean and bison grass, mint green tea, and marzipan
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, five spice, and ginger, sweet pastry dough, fig, and cream
Smoothness Smoothness: Smooth
Enjoy Enjoy: in cocktails and neat
Cocktail Cocktails: Bloody Mary, Moscow Mule, Vodka Martini
Bottom Line Bottom Line: This incredible Vodka has a lot going on with a delectable nose and a nice creamy mouth feel that gives way to a lightly fruity aftertaste.

The Importer

Campari America

The Importer
1114 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
USA
1 212-207-4350

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Unflavored Vodka

Spirits Glass Shot Clear.jpg
Serve in a Shot Glass
Unflavored vodka is defined in the US as a "neutral" spirit devoid of color, aroma, and taste, however, the finest unflavored vodkas are served neat and do have a subtle taste, sometimes of the base grain or ingredient, citrus or even anise. But most vodkas are used for cocktails, often mixed with fruit juice (cranberry juice for Cosmopolitans or orange juice for Screwdrivers.), tonic, or soda for the ubiquitous bar-hopper favorite Vodka & Soda. To which craft bartenders these days like to say, "vodka pays the bills."

Unflavored vodka is made by fermenting and then distilling the simple sugars from a mash of pale grain or vegetal matter. Vodka is produced from grain, potatoes, molasses, beets, and a variety of other plants. Rye and wheat are the classic grains for Vodka, with most of the best Russian Vodkas being made from wheat while in Poland they are mostly made from a rye mash. Swedish and Baltic distillers are partial to wheat mashes. Potatoes are looked down on by Russian distillers, but are held in high esteem by some of their Polish counterparts. Molasses, a sticky, sweet residue from sugar production, is widely used for inexpensive, mass-produced brands of Vodka. American distillers use the full range of base ingredients, but most are made from the abundant supply of corn from the US heartland.