I have been so pleased over the last decade or so with the number of quality and premium spirits (and beer) being produced in our great state of Texas.
When it comes to vodka, it all began with a small Austin-based upstart called Tito's. Vodka from the U.S., much less Texas, was virtually unheard of. And it took the vodka industry by storm.
Following in Tito's footsteps are several other Texas based vodkas that share the shelf with the Russian and European giants, including Dripping Springs and Enchanted Rock. Recently, a friend of mine, who happens to work for a Texas distillery, introduced me to the next big Texas spirit - Nue Vodka.
Vodka is often regarded as unflavored. That is why it is probably the most versatile spirit to use with mixers. That being said, it is not truly flavorless - especially when tried neat and unchilled.
Although not the traditional way to drink vodka, it does allow you to "taste" the true essence of the vodka. Often, the flavors you identify come from the base ingredient it is distilled from. It is also a great way to detect the level of impurities in the vodka.
Try a bottom shelf brand neat and unchilled and you'll see what I mean. So I started this way with Nue Vodka and while I detected the corn base, impurities were essentially non-existent, a result no doubt from the six times Nue is distilled before being bottled. And there was virtually no burn or bite.
My next step was using Nue in a classic vodka martini, ever so slightly dirty. For martinis, I tend to prefer wheat or grain based vodkas, so I wasn't expecting too much from Nue in this category - but man I was surprised.
It made a very smooth and solid martini. Easy on the palate, soft mouthfeel, and again, no burn or bite. It was too easy for me to make a second and third one.
In the over saturated vodka market, any new vodka has a large hill to climb to be noticed. Luckily for Nue, the craft cocktail industry has embraced a lot of these new upstarts and I expect it to be no different with this great Dallas-based entry.
Tastings.com (powered by the Beverage Testing Institute) gave Nue Vodka 89 points, a Silver Medal, "Highly Recommended" and "Best Buy." So for something new, give Nue a try.