Drink the Best: New Vodka Taste Test Tells You How

Orlando, Fla. (PRWEB) November 30, 2006

In a first for the flavor-infused vodka sector, Luctor International, distiller and distributor of Van Gogh Vodka, has established a benchmarking system that compares and rates its own spirits against some of America's favorite tastes.

Luctor founder and CEO Dave van de Velde applied principles from the aeronautics and engineering industries to develop the benchmarking system out of frustration that the spirits industry had no true method to calibrate taste against recognized standards.

The Dutch vodka routinely gets rave reviews from industry experts, including five coveted five-star ratings from Spirit Journal, which labeled Van Gogh "…the best in the flavored vodka business, period," in its September 2005 issue. Still, van de Velde contends flavored vodka distillers spend too much time comparing themselves to each other and make no effort to calibrate or accurately rate vodka flavors in a way that is meaningful to consumers.

"It's not enough for us to say we are the best flavored vodka if we are simply competing against other brands, some of which may even be sub-par," says van de Velde. "Our new rating system allows us to say we are the best because we judge ourselves against authentic tastes and strive to deliver flavors that Americans identify, prefer and expect. Perfection to us means coming as close as possible to the target authentic flavor and retaining that standard in every batch."

Setting the Standard

Van Gogh Vodka's new rating system allows martini lovers to compare each flavored vodka to a popular food item that is considered the "standard" for that flavor. Testers use a rating system of 1 - 10, factoring in aroma as well as taste, to determine each flavor's level of accuracy against the standard.

Van Gogh Vodka's recent taste test of all the company's vodkas resulted in an overall average rating of 8.43 out of 10, with Double Espresso Double Caffeine vodka rating top among vodkas already introduced.

"We invite other brands to adopt similar standards and conduct their own tests," says van de Velde. "If flavored vodka is to retain its lead as the most popular and fastest growing spirit, we owe it to consumers to have quality control standards in place to ensure we all deliver superior beverages."

Van Gogh Vodka Taste Standards

Van Gogh Flavor - Standard

Wild Appel - Granny Smith Apple

Black Cherry - Jones Black Cherry Soda

Banana - Fresh Banana

Dutch Chocolate - Godiva Chocolate

Citroen - Simply Limeade

Coconut - Mounds Candy Bar

Double Espresso - Coffee Flavored Candy

Espresso - Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream

Mango - Fresh Mango

Melon - Fresh Cantaloupe

Mojito Mint - York Peppermint Paddy

Orange - Tropicana Orange Juice

Pineapple - Dole Pineapple

Pomegranate - Fresh Pomegranate

Raspberry - Fresh Raspberry

Vanilla - Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream

Martini lovers who want to drink the best and serve the best can conduct their own taste tests. Go online to http://www.VanGoghVodka.com and click first onto Benchmark Taste Test and then onto Ratings. Download the Scorecard at the bottom of the page.

Van Gogh Vodka, imported from Holland, is the industry's leading flavored vodka with more flavors -- 16 - than any other brand.

Bottoms Up and Up

Vodka is the largest spirits category as well as the fastest growing one, up almost 20 percent over the last five years, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).

That growth is being driven by flavored vodkas, the spirit's fastest growing sub-category. From 2000 - 2005, 115 new flavored vodkas have debuted, DISCUS says.

Innovative flavors are changing the way we drink. Instead of being mixed in complicated martinis, James Bond-style, many flavored vodkas are best served over ice or chilled straight up.

Examples: the Espresso-tini, made with espresso vodka and served on crushed ice, or the pomegranate martini, a flavorful sip consisting of pomegranate vodka on ice.

About Luctor

Luctor International owns and imports all Van Gogh Vodkas, Gins, and Liqueurs worldwide from the Dirkzwager Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands. The Orlando, Florida-based company exports to the United States, Europe, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Canada and Central America. For more information and thousands of complimentary cocktail recipes, visit http://www.VanGoghVodka.com or call toll-free 888-539-3361.

For more information or for images contact:

Sharlet Brennan

YPB&R Public Relations

(407) 838-1707

-or-

Noel Perkins

YPB&R Public Relations

(407) 838-1797

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