Tito’s Handmade Vodka was created by Bert “Tito” Beveridge.  Don’t laugh, that’s the man’s actual last name!  Bert was taught how to make vodka by his uncle, but he created his own recipe and taught himself the art of micro-distillation with a pot still.  Tito’s is currently produced in Austin, Texas in the city’s oldest legal distillery.  Tito’s is distilled six times and is made from sweet corn as opposed to potato or wheat, giving it a very smooth, distinct taste.  Remarkably, Tito’s Vodka employs fewer than ten people to this day and produces nearly 22,000 cases per year.  Tito’s Handmade Vodka consistently beats out premium top-shelf vodkas at competitions and is the fastest growing brand in America.

     Sipping Tito’s on the rocks yeilds an interesting experience.  Since it is distilled six times, it is extremely smooth.  It is perhaps the smoothest vodka I have consumed to date.  After swallowing the vodka, your taste buds are greeted with a sweet, yellow-corn taste.  It’s very unique and very pleasing.  A couple of the BoozeBasher tasters were slightly disappointed by the taste on the rocks, calling it somewhat bland or unusual, but I respectfully disagree.  The taste may seem a little bland to a seasoned vodka drinker, but the smoothness more than makes up for it.  Tito’s is truly a pleasure to shoot, and the sweet finish makes for a nice touch.  If Stevie Ray Vaughan were alive today and still a drinker, I’d like to think he’d be all over this stuff.  It comes from Austin, so he would be the perfect spokesperson.  Just as his spectacular guitar sang smooth, sweet tunes for everyone’s enjoyment, Tito’s offers a great vodka experience. 

     When mixing with Sprite, the taste of Tito’s Handmade Vodka is almost unnoticable until you catch that yummy sweet corn-like finish.  If you are looking for a vodka that is well-hidden in mixed drinks, look no further.  Tito’s does nothing more than add a little sweetness to any concoction.  The smoothness really allows it to play well with mixers.  It won’t really enhance the flavor of the mixed drink, but you may not even be able to tell it’s there after having a little of it.  That is a big selling point of vodka for the casual drinker and goes a long way in making Tito’s elite in my book.  This superb mixablitly makes Tito’s a favorite of the ladies, and let’s be honest, isn’t that really what matters?

     Tito’s brings with it a surprisingly strong buzz.  It is a standard 80-proof vodka, but it actually got me drunk.  Maybe the smoothness allowed me to pour a little more than I normally would into my drinks, but at any rate, it got the job done.  I don’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Stevie Ray when it comes to playing the guitar, but my playing was sounding pretty damn awesome after a few Tito’s drinks.  I’m fairly sure it was due to intoxication and not to a sudden spike in my guitar-playing prowess.  I’m not sure if it’s the six distillations or something else about Tito’s Handmade Vodka, but this spirit gave me no serious signs of a hangover in the morning.  My head was a little cloudy the next day, but I still felt on top of the world.  This is definitely the stuff to use for spiking your fruity drinks on a work night. 

      A 750ml bottle of Tito’s will cost you $21, so it’s not going to break the bank.  With Tito’s, you can get a top-shelf, imported vodka experience for a mid-shelf price.  I would assume this cheap price is possible due to the small number of people employed by the company and the exclusive use of word-of-mouth advertising.  If you like both sweet corn and vodka, do yourself a favor and pick up a bottle of Tito’s.  Pop in a Stevie Ray Vaughan DVD, and pour yourself a glass.  Sweet music and delicious liquor await you.   

Sipability - 7.5

Mixability - 8.5

Drunkability - 8.0

Hangover-ability - 9.0

Bang for the Buck - 7.5

Chick-appeal - 8.5

Overall - 8.5 

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     Seagram’s gin has always been a staple at many bars and homes.  Seagram’s is usually a lower-shelf gin compared to some others out there, but its smaller price tag keeps it popular among the masses.  And with the new addition of Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve, there is sure to be another gin taking up space in your liquor closet.  Well, I don’t know about it being the next gin taking permanent space in my liquor closet, but it will surely be one of the strongest.

     Seagram’s is made mainly from juniper berries, alongside many other herbs and spices to create its flavor.  Each batch of Distiller’s Reserve is crafted by their master distiller.  After sampling hundreds of batches, he or she selects the handful of samples that are the richest in character and distinctive in aroma and botanical essence.  Then they carefully blend the barrel-proof batches together to create what is called the Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve.

     There are no surprises with the taste of this gin.  Distiller’s Reserve tastes exactly like what you would expect a 102-proof gin to taste.  It has the same pine tree taste that most gins are known to have, but this one is a little different.  It tastes like a forest of pine trees engulfed in flames.  Oh yes, she burns!  Gin is an acquired taste.  And let’s just say Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve barely meets the requirements to be considered part of that acquired taste.  I wouldn’t recommend trying to drink this as a stand-alone drink.  This is an endeavor that only a few select men will be willing to undertake.

     Distiller’s Reserve isn’t much better mixed.  It has such a strong taste that mixing it just tastes like a futile attempt to water it down.  And when something tastes more like it is diluted than tasting like an actual mixed drink, it just comes off bad.  However, on the same note, the power of this gin is so strong that it needs to be mixed with something for acceptable consumption.

     Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve has something extra that most other liquors do not have.  It is the spectacular Seagram’s bottle.  This thing is incredible!  It’s made so that there is just no way you can drop this bottle.  You can be too drunk to walk but still keep a sturdy grip on this bottle.  The rippled contour design seems to be made to fit perfectly into any drunk’s hand.  And seeing how Distiller’s Reserve is 102-proof, you just might need the sure-grip.  Luckily, when you’re hammered, you can still pour more with this nifty bottle.  The bottle is also easy to throw in the morning when you wake up with a hangover that might make you want to quit drinking for the 100th time this year. 

     After a couple sips, you don’t really care how Distiller’s Reserve tastes.  You probably won’t care about the taste of anything at that point.  Paying $16 for a sure drunk in a handy bottle may sound like a good value, but I’ll leave up to you.  The taste is really harsh, and the hangover will be one that you will not soon forget.  The Seagram’s Distiller’s Reserve may not be a bottle that you will keep on your shelf at home, but it is worth a try.  So, try it and when you get wasted, come back to our site and leave some drunken thoughts in our forum’s Druken Ramblings section.

Sipability - 5.0

Mixability - 5.0

Drunkability - 8.5

Hangover-ability - 3.0

Bang for the Buck - 8.0

Overall - 5.5

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     I came across this article from medicalnewstoday.com that detailed a study done on fruit flies to try to isolate the genes that affect alcohol sensitivity.  In this study, fruit flies were exposed to alcohol vapors in a tube-like contraption until they were utterly intoxicated.  The flies that had the highest tolerance to the vapors were mated with other lushes, and the lightweights with the lowest tolerance were also bred.  I don’t know much about the mating rituals of the fruit fly, but I’m willing to bet the alcoholics enjoyed it more.  If alcohol can impair my judgment with the ladies, I’m sure it can make an ugly fruit fly look like a delicious piece of orange to a fruit fly lush.  They must have been easier to mate.  After 25 generations of breeding and observation, the scientists identified 32 genes that affect alcohol sensitivity; seventy-two percent of these 32 have human counterparts.  

     Some of the changed genes these scientists discovered deal with metabolic pathways that convert alcohol to fat.  They were intrigued because these genes had never been studied before to suggest a link to alcohol sensitivity.  Who gives a damn about alcohol sensitivity?  If they found this gene that is a factor in converting alcohol to fat, why can’t they start working on some kind of drug that will help me keep my sleek and sexy appearance despite how much liquor I may consume?  Maybe some sort of drug could trick the body into converting the alcohol into muscle.  That would be great; I’d be one buff dude.  These researchers are hoping that their findings could someday lead to the creation of a drug to give to people with higher risk factors for alcoholism.  I’m sorry, but it just sounds ridiculous to me to give someone with a genetically-dispositioned addictive personality trait another drug upon which to become dependent!  It sounds like a wonderful way for a drug company to make some fat cash though.  I’m sure that cash is the ultimate motivator here. 

     I really don’t know if I buy into the “alcoholism gene” thing.  I can believe that some people may be a bit more geneticallly-predispositioned to develop addictions of any kind, be it alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling, or even sex.  I think the real key is how people choose to deal with problems that arise in life.  Some people may choose the bottle; some people will obviously choose more health-conscious routes.  ”To each his own” has always been my motto in regards to that.  I really can’t stand flies of any kind because they annoy me to no end, and I damn sure don’t want to listen to anything regarding them.  I don’t need to use my genes as an excuse to the decisions I make in life, so damn the flies for trying to persuade me to do so!    

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