ON THE CUTTING EDGE: Why Pricey Vodka Tastes Better
All vodka is 40 percent pure ethyl alcohol (ethanol) and 60 percent pure water, but a team of American and Russian chemists has found that variability ethanol hydrates in concentration gives the reputedly flavorless spirit a different flavor profile, reports HealthDay News:
[R]esearchers found that some hydrates appear to be "tastier" than others. …
It turns out that some brands have so-called "low structurability," because of a higher fraction of water clusters. Other brands, however, are notable for their "high structurability" and contain a higher concentration of ethanol clusters.
The team found that low-structured vodkas are likely to come across as more watery to the palate than high-structured vodkas, although the contrast manifests as a difference in perception (of molecular content) rather than taste in its more conventional sense.
So you see, there really is a difference between super-premium vodka and rotgut.
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