Fuzzy’s Vodka Review

Fuzzy’s Vodka Review

Fuzzy’s Vodka
Grade: B+
Teacher’s Comments: Vodka, with a hint of vanilla and botanicals. Great in cocktails.

manufacturer’s website

Fuzzy’s Vodka sent of bottle of their “Ultra Premium Vodka” for review. I like it, and so does my panel of taste testers.

The “Fuzzy” in the name is of course Frank Urban “Fuzzy” Zoeller, winner of two majors (1979 Masters and 1984 US Open) and ten PGA TOUR events

Fuzzy is one of three to win the Masters in their first appearance. The others are Horton Smith (1934) and Gene Sarazen (1935). Nineteen thirty-four was of course the first Masters, so no matter who won, it was going to be their first appearance. Sarazen didn’t play in the inaugural event.

None of this has anything to do with the vodka, but this social studies teacher can’t resist a bit of a history lesson.

I’m not much of a vodka drinker, far preferring bourbon, rye, Irish whisky and scotch. But I do like a martini (stirred, not shaken; Bond had it wrong), a White Russian, and a Mule (more about that later).

Still, in the interest of good writing, my tasting panel and I tried some shots.

The aroma for Fuzzy’s Vodka has an initial hint of vanilla, followed by something a bit more medicinal. It is noticeably different to my nose from a couple of other brands used as controls. Those went straight to the alcohol.

Similarly, there seems to be a hint of vanilla on the initial taste, followed by the alcohol and then the slightest hint of botanicals, as in an aquavit.

Fuzzy’s Vodka is 80 proof and made from midwestern corn. True to its “ultra premium” tag, it is distilled five times, then charcoal filtered ten times.

The perhaps unusual notes in the aroma and flavor likely come from the process where a portion of the distillate is rested in new American Oak barrels, much like a bourbon. The hints of vanilla and botanicals may come from the combination of corn and oak.

A Fuzzy’s Vodka “American Mule” I made.

In my mind, Fuzzy’s is really good in a cocktail.

A good place to start with a vodka cocktail is a “mule.”

Back in March, following the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, Fuzzy decided to try to rename the classic Moscow Mule the “American Stallion.”

The ingredients and recipe are the same: 2 ounces of Fuzzy’s Vodka and the juice of half a lime topped with ginger beer (I use Gosling’s). Shake with crushed ice.

As a general note — and here is where Bond has it wrong — you should shake cocktails with fruit juice, simple syrup, sour mix, eggs or any other non-alcoholic ingredient. The shaking properly mixes liquids of different densities and in the case of fruits, releases the flavors. If a drink is entirely spirits (as in a martini), it should be stirred. That’s where Bond had it wrong (or at least that’s what I learned in a cocktail class I took).

Fuzzy’s is made in the USA, made of good old American corn and bottled in Indiana, so imbibing does nothing to support the Russian oligarchs and the homicidal maniac who leads them.

Fuzzy’s Vodka is donating 10% of all sales for the months of June, July and August to the American Red Cross.

I like Fuzzy’s Vodka and will happily keep a bottle of it on my shelf.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading