XO Vodka Review

If you've ever accidentally wandered into an elegant party while wearing your gym clothes, you'll have an inkling of how we felt cradling the bottle of Jean-Marc XO Vodka we received for review. Coming in around $50 a bottle, this is probably the most expensive vodka we've drunk, and we were a bit out of sorts before we started the review. We felt like we were in the presence of royalty - were we supposed to bow to it, or thank it for pouring into the glass?

Luckily, our thirst overcame our confusion and we were able to get the review done - find out how it measured up below.

Jean-Marc XO Vodka
Ultra-Premium Wheat Vodka Imported from France
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: About $50
Website

The Look:
The bottle itself was distinct-looking, a far cry from the typical "tall and frosted" look we see in a lot of vodkas. It was a bit squat, oval and flat at the same time, and it had a nice heft in our hands.

The Nose:
The nose was clean and crisp, with a tinge of vanilla and herbal notes at the same time. To be honest, it smelled a bit like dessert, but not in an overly sweet, liqueur way. Very nice.

The Taste:
The taste was everything we expected after how much we liked the nose. There were a variety of flavors, retaining the vanilla and even adding a hint of what we could only describe as pastry. We actually went back and checked the bottle to see if the vodka was infused with anything - it's not, but it gives the full mouth feel and sweeter taste hints of a very nice infusion.

The Verdict:
We're thinking Jean-Marc is onto something with his distillation process - after choosing the high end wheats for the vodka, he then distills it nine times and uses french alembic stills made of copper. Not only does it take a while to create, we think it justifies the price tag. Our Intern Vito couldn't stop drinking it, and he still talks about XO fondly and lovingly, wishing we still had a bottle around the office - though of course he's mostly the reason we don't.

If you're looking to experiment in the high end vodka market, you won't go wrong with a bottle of XO whether you're drinking it on the rocks or mixing cosmo after cosmo. Definitely worth a try, even if you just order a drink with it at a bar.

July 25, 2007

XO Vodka Review