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Smirnoff

Reviews to date: 76Average score: 2
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Very smoth, tastes great
Reviewer: Kyle Gilbertson

All I have to say is that you can get it in a Plastic Bottle. Very harsh vodka!!
Reviewer: The Box

Smirnoff Red: one of the few vodkas in the western tradition (style, if you wish) that have character. Maybe it's not so western: after all, we must credit the original Russian recipe. Among so many "neutral grain spirits" that are so neutral that you can only taste alcohol and water (and who could tell one brand from another ?), Smirnoff has the texture that joins together in a beautiful wedding the two pure components (remember it's triple distilled, the water is demineralized and the blend goes through tons of activated charcoal). Don't be surprized if they've started to drink it in Russia (oh yes, lately) - and be sure they don't make cocktails there ... Timeless, majestic and essential. La vodka par excellence.
Reviewer: Bogdan Petculescu

Vile, vile stuff. Taste provokes a cringe, sits like acid in the stomach, causes skilsaw hangovers. Zhalko the scale only goes as low as 1.
Reviewer: Kruglosutochnui Chris of http://mcfrank.blogspot.com

faboulous! refresihing
Reviewer: Sophie farthing

If I was broke, I wouldn't buy this stuff. Tastes like what I think lighter fluid might be like. For another $3.00 buy Luksusowa!
Reviewer: Ray Abraham

Not great straight, but makes a good mixed drink.
Reviewer: "B"

I suppose if you were used to drinking "Mr. Boston" Vodka, then this would be a step up. Otherwise, avoid at all costs.
Reviewer: RN Durham

Not that bad actually- a little medicinal perhaps. The first Vodka in the US that really sold, BIG in the 1960s as 'the Vodka' See the Film 'Auto-Focus' going back into the mid 60's see the Smirnoff being used- Better mixed- makes a good bloody or screw driver.
Reviewer: Peter

This is a very coarse vodka. Smells like it's better for cleaning wounds than drinking. Leaves an unsettling feeling in one's stomach. I reccomend Absolut or Grey Goose.
Reviewer: Bill Smith

Who would have believed this stuff is so good! I tryed it in a whim and enjoyed some great cocktails. Smirnoff is one of the best values out there!!
Reviewer: JW

Hello my Vodka mates in the States, sorry, but the Smirnoff is the worst Vodka for me. The only advantage of this Vodka is, if you have problems with your venes - you can rub it with this bloody stuff. My fab Vodkas are Stoli and polish Zubrowka (Grasovka) with the grass.
Reviewer: Uli Haas

One of the worst vodkas I've ever tasted, apart from generic vodka. Has a chemical taste, and isn't very smooth.
Reviewer: C.

So clean! Void of taste and aroma....as a true vodka should be! A classic!
Reviewer: M. Hannah

Harsh vodka to drink stright. However its cheap and works well for mixing or cooking with.
Reviewer: Bob

Smirnoff - you know the stuff is made out of industrial alcohol plants and then shipped to the smirnoff plant where it is filtered through charcoal. Guess they have to filter it in charcoal considering it starts as industrial grade alcohol. Try it if you must but if I'm tight for money and want a really nice vodka then I go for Seagram's Extra Smooth Vodka. Very nice!!!
Reviewer: Sarah

If all they have is Smirnoff, drink water! Akin to nail polish remover, battery acid, a substance that should not be imbibed without peril to your health.
Reviewer: Alexs

Not very easy to drink, gives bad hangovers. For the same money buy Seagram's.
Reviewer: Andrew

Smirnoff used to be the official supplier of vodka to the Russian Royal Court. This meant one thing - simply the best. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. What you get now is something smelly in a cheap plastic container. In case of emergency, I buy Stoli. Not great, but at least it's VODKA.
Reviewer: Pete

Horrid stuff! Smells like rubbing alcohol. I'd rather drink water than this sewage water. (Now let me tell you how I really feel!)
Reviewer: Alexa

Tastes like burning... Yes, there are worse brands...but why would you want to probe the bottomless depths of intolerable liquordom with your wallet when you can have better for less? ONLY GOOD AS A MIXER. Avoid if at all possible...
Reviewer: Matt L.

If you want cheap Vodka just to guzzle lighter fluid, go for McCormick. I'd say this is just a step up, and only tastes alright mixed in with some very potent mixers. If you enjoy fine spirits, avoid this one.
Reviewer: Joe

A nasty vodka resting on some past glory that i'm too young to understand. This is the budweiser of vodka, relying solely on name recognition.
Reviewer: James

What more is there to say, smells like rubbing alcohal. Taste horrible. this stuff makes me sick to my stomache everytime i drink it! Anything is better then this garbage!
Reviewer: Lansgard

Um, yeah. Smirnoff is probably the most well-known brand name vodka in my neck of the woods. Unfortunately, it's also one of the worst. It's totally generic in flavor, burns like horrid, and gives me a feeling of nausea about a half hour after I've drunk it. To top it all, it has a very nasty acrid aftertaste. Even mixed, the taste remains and lodges right at the back sides of my tongue. Avoid if you can.
Reviewer: mal

In its price category it is a good vodka. Fairly smooth and no bad aftertaste.
Reviewer: Anthony

The definition of average. This is my baseline when I do blind taste tests. Reliable, readily available; average in price, taste, and burn. Better mixed, but can be shot right out of the freezer in a pinch. I'd buy Burnette's over this any day, but the grocery store is full of worse vodkas than this.
Reviewer: theabsrd

So far my friends & I have had 2 blind tastings about 5 years apart with 9-10 vodkas each. Vokdas included Ketel 1, Stolichnaya, Zyr, Svedka, Belvedere, Absolut, Smirnoff, Fris, Turi & some others. On both occasions, Smirnoff ranked #1 or #2 when served with ice. For some Stoli was #1 w/o ice. If you haven't done a blind taste test, you should. People swear their pretige vodka will rank #1...then see the suprised faces when you get back the result.
Reviewer: Baaar Sum

Coasts on name recognition, much like Absolut and Stolichnaya. Except much worse than even Absolut. Rough stuff, don't try to drink it straight unless you have a stomach of iron and a copper-jacketed tongue. Don't get me wrong, I've had harsher vodka. But for the price, you can find superior spirits (Both Fris and Luksosowa are slightly cheaper in my area than Smirnoff).
Reviewer: Matt

smells like alcohol , burns your throat and stomach when u drink it straight up. even if u consume a small amount u will still get that horrible burning feeling in your throat
Reviewer: Rick Booth

anyone who rates this a 3 or higher does not know vodka. harsh, smells, headache. and not a good buy at 17.99 for 1.75L, may as well buy the gordons for 9.99 or albertsons brand, same taste, smell and headache. this is bad stuff, saty clear, the just have cool ads in mags is all. and flavors , not my thing anyway, want a flavor , heres a clue....add OJ, taa daa!
Reviewer: TS1

a step above drinking gazoline!..A perfect example of "Big Money Marketing" making a bad product popular with the uninformed masses through relentless advertising. definetely the Budweiser of Vodkas..stay away, there are so many better vodkas for the price, there is no need to buy this swill!
Reviewer: MadMax2012

deserves a zero, disgusting vodka
Reviewer: jeremy s

Drank some at a friends house a few nights ago when he offered me some. Started with some Absolut, a resonable vodka, and when that was finished we switched to some Smirnoff. After nearly puking, for the first time in many years, I have decided that I would not even use this to thin paint.
Reviewer: Anorath_DHara

Unless you have a brita filter on hand, avoid this vodka. This vodka will work in a pinch for mixed drinks. But it is really pretty harsh. Even the vapors will make your eyes water. For a couple bucks more, you could go with Skyy. For a little more still, you could get a jewel like Ketel One. All without breaking the bank. Smirnoff is marketed as a mid level vodka like the other two. But it tastes like bottom shelf nail polish remover. As subpar as this is mixed, I cannot fathom finding a reason to drink this straight, unless on a dare. Very harsh, with a strong burn, and lighter fluid finish. If you are that strapped for cash, seriously consider a plastic bottle of any number of no name vodkas that are Smirnoffs equal in refinement and taste.
Reviewer: Mike W

Not a good vodka if youre looking to enjoy your liquor. Works decently as a mixer (as most any vodka better be able to), but as far as straight up, ill only drink it in a pinch. Get vikingfjord if you can find it. Much better bang for the buck.
Reviewer: Sheridan

Pretty much bottom of the barrel quality. I've tried everything I know of to make it taste good. I have used it to make herbal tinctures and even then could taste the bitterness, harshness, and burn. Definitely one I purposely at the liquor store.
Reviewer: Hillary

tasteless, oily, unimaginative. i would call it generic, but that is giving it too much credit. still it doesn't quite offend the senses the same way some other vodkas do, so i'll let it escape with a 2stars. could work in a mixer.
Reviewer: Maksim Markov

Horrible. Terrible. Disgusting. Don't buy! I made the mistake of confusing this with Seagram's because it starts with an 'S'. Oops. The last (and I do mean last) bottle of Smirnoff I bought tasted like mildew. Importers is an ultra cheap vodka that is much better. Get Sobieski.
Reviewer: Stan

horrible..........leaves an acidic taste in the pit of your stomach, sometimes makes u not want to eat taste like a chemical. when u breathe after having a couple of shots (pints whatever) It makes your liver feel cold and makes you feel cold inside. absolutely horrid. just smelling a cold smirnoff vodka makes me shiver sometimes.
Reviewer: Nabil Hussain

another low end product with mass marketing pushing it through most of the ignorant public's bloodstream. though not the worst vodka out there, it's pretty much rot gut, once a bit of research is done there are plenty similarly priced small market vodka's out there in every region of North America that better it by quite a lot. I give them cred for not masquerading, touting pretentious absurd phrases such as "world's best tasting vodka" ;)
Reviewer: EsocLucius

I moved to BC from California back in 1999 and the first thing I noticed about drinking habits here is that "smirnoff" and "vodka" are interchangeable, and people think grey goose tastes good. The honest reason for this is that due to the BC Liquor board, citizens are price gouged remorselessly. If you are ever forced to drink smirnoff, quickly dish it into some lemonade when someone isn't looking. That's about the only way it's bearable at all.
Reviewer: Miles

The shelf space buyers have me seeing red ! How many facings of this stuff do I really need to look at . This may have applications for cocktail mixology if finding a fiery, medicinal tasting liquor is on your agenda . Serious sippers may stand it better if your taste receptors are muted from cigarette smoking and you seek a stronger bite . Gets a 2 only because there are worse vodkas . Approximately 25 Canadian dollars in Toronto (maybe a buck less than Russian Standard lol ).
Reviewer: Sean Smith

Very harsh and bitter tasting vodka. I'm ashamed to say that I drank it on a regular basis when I was a teenager before I knew other vodkas existed.
Reviewer: Jennifer

you get what you pay for with this ... for £12 a litre its good for mixing with but truly disgusting to drink on its own ... tastes like jet fuel.
Reviewer: calum

Rubbish, bad hangoover and taste. The only good thinh about this vodka is its marketing.
Reviewer: mw

When I was young I could stomach this stuff. Now it causes sharp stabbing pains in my stomach. I hear people talk about blind taste tests, but I think they are clueless. I hate Grey Goose so I am not about names. I am a Stoli man for now until I find something else that tastes better.
Reviewer: Richard A

I'd like to say its cheap and cheerful but its neither, for 2/3 price [here in the UK] i can get a bottle of Stoli, far better and doesnt taste like Jet Fuel... The only uses for this swill are mixing [if you have nothing else to use] or for use as an industrial solvent...
Reviewer: calum

I don't think this is Vodka, but rather just some vile chemical. Tsarist sell out trash
Reviewer: Stanislav

The worst vodka I'v tasted in my life Yaaaaaaaakkk...... What a night
Reviewer: Jamal

YIKES! Top for name brands for Rot Gut contender! The nose: Rubbing alcohol. The Palate: Rubbing alcohol. When I decided I couldnt handle this swill, I made a simple syrup and added to it and it STILL had rubbing alcohol permeate it. Then I added 10 Jolly Rancher Watermelons and finally that with cutting it with some club soda pushed the rubbing alcohol flavor to the back..but still slightly noticable. WHEW! STAY AWAY.
Reviewer: Jim Stewart

Short of Grey Goose, Smirnoff is excellent. If you get a hangover at all from drinking this excellent vodka it's because of what you mix it with. Smirnoff is best neat or on the rocks with a chaser. Mixed drinks give hangovers. Wise up.
Reviewer: Logan

The red label is gross! Too gross. My friends and I drink The flavored versions and they are better than the red label. Even the worst flavor tastes better than the original smirnoff! && we take straight shots by the way. The best flavors are Watermelon, Strawberry, Raspberry, and Pineapple. The worst are marshmallow( too sweet and 30% alcohol as well), whipped cream, passion fruit, green apple and black cherry. The rest are alright and I also haven't tried a lot of them like a good 6 or 7, so yeah. The watermelon does not burn even if it is room temperature. I think the red label is more for mixed drinks.
Reviewer: David

I can't believe some people are giving this good reviews. This is discusting and tastes like paint thinner. It is an insult to vodka. If anyone in the room is drinking smirnoff, they can immediately be identified as an idiot with horrible tastes. This is perhaps why it is so popular in New Zealand. It's not even good for dilute mixing since the impurities can be tasted
Reviewer: Ben

Not to echo many of the other comments before me, but if you drink this you truly know nothing about vodka. This is truly the gasoline of vodkas. This is why a lot of Americans are afraid to drink vodka straight....because we don't know what the hell a truly good vodka tastes like. After tasting Ketel One and Belvedere, I was finally able to taste what a GOOD vodka shot tastes like, and it was delicious. Smirnoff, on the other hand, goes down like jet fuel. You can just save yourself some money and start downing 91% isopropyl alcohol if you are thinking about a Smirnoff purchase. The previous poster who said that this is the Budweiser of vodkas is right. The brainwashed masses will keep consuming this because the commercials say it's great.
Reviewer: mike

Not too bad, but for the price not worth buying again. Get Fris or Svedka of Luksusowa instead. Or that Bruce Willis stuff.
Reviewer: jmr

It's horrible. Don't see how it's legally sold! Hung over for 2 days. Horrible awful.
Reviewer: Peter

The New York Times liquor review game Smirnoff Red Label top marks. I tried it in a blind tasting against Grey Goose and picked the Smirnoff. Don't review by the label - review by the taste.
Reviewer: Dom Sarducci

Of course with all vodkas...you can get drunk. And w/ Smirnoff you can do so with almost any flavor imaginable. But be advised...you may want to re-think that decision! Seriuosly...turn back NOW!
Reviewer: Latimer

This is the backyard moonshine of the Vodka world, it taste bad, it burns in the mouth and it's not even good for mixing. I don't recommend this to anyone.
Reviewer: Arriflex

Smirnoff is just okay. It doesn't deserve to be put down the way some reviewers trash it. Its not great but it'll do. I'll drink Smirnoff, but I won't buy it.
Reviewer: Maritimer

It consistently wins in blind taste tests, and it tastes great in my mixed drinks. Also, not solely a product of a highly successful marketing campaign either(ketel one, Absolut). No drinker I know turns their nose up at it.
Reviewer: Ivan

It's a good mixer vodka, and tastes good in any mixer. I am fairly sure it is not supposed to be drunk straight, but if you must, best when left in the freezer overnight
Reviewer: Liza

Smirnoff is a fine standard vodka; If you chill it, of-course you can drink it neat. If you want a 'flavored' vodka... drink gin! Personally, I'm tired of these prtentious vodka snobs. Read the NY Times review of Smirnoff.
Reviewer: Ray Ray

I'm sorry but this stuff is really awful imo. Imagine meths watered down to sufficient proof % & that's Smirnoff to me. Unfortunately, gawd knows why but every pub & club in the UK gives us this as the standard & often only vodka option. If I don't limit myself when out to 3-4 single shots of this gunk with a mixer I'm ill the next day. Live & learn as they say. It's ruff stuff on my insides.
Reviewer: Nikki

Great for mixing, sucks for shots
Reviewer: nick

I can find little difference between Smirnoff and the cheapest vodkas. Besides the name and price tag. Fine with a soft drink that covers up it's harsh burn but I wouldn't risk spoiling a vodka martini with it.
Reviewer: John

Not the greatest but decent for the price. kind of crappy straight but gets the job done like any other liquor. I don't know were all this talk of getting sick after drinking it is coming from. must not be able to handle your booze.
Reviewer: anonomous

The worst vodka i have bought. I actually cringed when trying to drink it straight in a blind taste test. It'll be the "people coming over vodka" since i won't be drinking it myself. Horrible stuff.
Reviewer: steve chelmicki

Drank recipe 57 100 proof for years. Recently 100 proof is now recipe 21. Major taste change, more like sweetened rubbing alcohol. Horrible chemical aftertaste. Smirnoff FB page claims #57 was always #21. No, proof is in the taste. Time to find a new vodka.
Reviewer: Debbie Goodwin

Almost as good as it gets for a fair price.
Reviewer: Copenhagen Knight

Great taste and smooth, no hangover.
Reviewer: Stefan

Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Seltzer is horrible. I tasted the cranberry lime, orange mango, and the watermelon. They are horrible. If this was the first Smirrnoff I ever tasted I probably wouldn't taste any other kind. I absolutely LOVE their other drinks but these ones are horrible.
Reviewer: Brandy

I buy vodka to use as a base for my home made anisette. I add splenda and anise oil and I have my own Sambuca, or Aniesette if you please. I have used cheap vodka for years and notice a more smooth product with the Smirnoff.
Reviewer: dfe

Vodka and Smirnoff are basically interchangeable words. Whatever you drink, Smirnoff is the staple of Vodka that everyone tends to go by, It's not particularly great but it can be great for its price which is usually cheap. Good stuff.
Reviewer: Josh

An absolutely awful and overrated vodka. If you drink alcohol because you enjoy making your taste buds scream from pain, then Smirnoff should be your go-to.
Reviewer: Vic

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