Tasting

Ketel One tastes dry and relatively neutral. A light wheat sweetness sits in the background, while the spirit itself is barely noticeable. This is typical of a clean, column-driven vodka with a touch of copper-kettle character. Nosing it more closely reveals subtle grain notes beneath the neutrality.

The lemon variant, Ketel One Citroen, adds a delicate, genuine citrus note without making the vodka taste sweet or artificial. The underlying sharpness of the wheat distillate still comes through clearly. The citrus note stays subtle, never overpowering on the finish.

A genever from one of Schiedam's old houses, such as Herman Jansen, tastes completely different. It's robust with rye and malt, rounded out by notes from cask aging, something vodka lacks entirely. This spice gives it a completely different character from the clean vodka made in the same city.

A narrow glass is all you need to taste vodka. The temperature should sit just above fridge-cold. Freezing it numbs the tongue and masks exactly the subtle differences that matter most. A quick sniff before the first sip often reveals a lot, showing whether a vodka carries any grain aroma at all or stays completely neutral. That way, you can learn a great deal about a vodka before even taking a sip.

Between a clean wheat vodka and a malty Schiedam genever lies the entire spectrum from neutrality to character, both distilled in the same city, from related grain. This closeness makes Schiedam a rare place for comparison.