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Is Smirnoff Good Vodka? Here's Our Honest Review

by Kris Barton Kris Barton Author Last Updated:

Smirnoff Vodka is everywhere. In literally every shop where you can buy booze. And you can buy it for a really good price too. But is Smirnoff good vodka? Should you buy it?

Here’s our honest review.

To cut a long story short…

Is Smirnoff good Vodka? Yes, it is.

Here are some of the benefits:

  • It’s a premium vodka and by premium we mean it contains aromatic impurities that curb the burn of the pure grain alcohol and make for a smoother ride.
  • It’s a well-established brand that’s instantly recogniseable worldwide.
  • You can get it at a good price and you always know what you’re getting when you buy a bottle.
  • Despite the name, it’s not actually made in Russia. It’s made all over Europe and there was a time when the Smirnoff family were persecuted by the Russian government (see the history below).

 

Now, let’s get into a little more detail as to why we know Smirnoff is good vodka.

Is Smirnoff Good Vodka? Here's our honest review
Table of contents

Who Are Smirnoff?

If you’re reading this guide, you’ve heard of the Smirnoff brand. I bet you can picture the logo and the font of the text in the logo just in your heads.

I mean, I’ve put a picture of the logo directly above this section, but that’s not the only reason you can picture it straight away.

Am I right?

The other reason you can picture the logo straight away is because Smirnoff is one of the most iconic brands on the planet and it’s been around since 1864.

1864. To put that date in context, it’s before the Albert Hall was built. Or before The Oxford English Dictionary was invented. Or better yet, before Greenwich Mean Time was a thing.

ANYWAY.

Smirnoff Vodka traces its origins to a distillery established by P.A. Smirnoff in Moscow.

P.A. stood out from his competitors at the time by distilling is vodka through charcoal columns 5 times, which was more than anybody else was doing at the time.

Is Smirnoff good vodka? Here's our honest smirnoff vodka review

Table Wine No 21

The success of Smirnoff sky rockets under the name of “Table Wine No.21” and is drank by royalty and peasants alike. So even back then, the Vodka was not only affordable and of a decent quality too.

It’s the “Table Wine No.21” bit that the Smirnoff Recipe No.21 got it’s name. But table wine? They classified this as a table wine? WTF? Imagine downing a wine glass full of vodka like a nice Rose on a hot summers day.

Would be brilliant, wouldn’t it?

Outlawed & Communism

1914, Smirnoff took a big hit. Legislation hit Russia, which meant booze was outlawed. Interesting. I didn’t realise this happen in Russia too – I thought it was just the US. You learn something every day.

By now, P.A.’s third son, Vladimir, had taken over the family business and was pushing forward with the vodka. However, in 1919, things get political for Smirnoff when Vladimir joins the anti-Bolshevik White Army and is active in helping refugee’s escape thought Southern Russian.

However, Vladimir gets captured. And tortured. And then sentenced to the firing squad. But before the execution can take place, the White Army liberated him and Vladimir escaped Russia.

 

Starting Fresh

From here, Vladimir tries to restart in the Vodka-making business in Poland and France, but is hampered by laws and bankruptcy. In 1933, a Russian ex-pat living in New York by the name of Rudolph Kunett purchases the rights to make and distribute Smirnoff in North America.

In 1941, Smirnoff Vodka takes off in the America when Smirnoff brand USA meets with a bar owner in California to create the infamous Moscow Mule cocktail.

You can read more about that in our How to Make a Moscow Mule article. Trust me, you’re gonna love it.

The popularity of Smirnoff took off and it became a household name. Why? I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it all goes back to Table Wine No.21 – it’s a good quality vodka at a great price.

We know the history of Smirnoff, but here’s what we don;t know for certain yet: is Smirnoff good vodka?

What are You Going to Use Smirnoff Vodka for?

“Which Vodka do you think I should, buy?” A young (but of legal age. honest.) me asked the guy behind the counter in Bargain Booze (for those of you who don’t know what a Bargain Booze is, it’s exactly what it sounds a like: a place to buy cheap alcohol).

The guy behind the counter glared at me for a while and finally said, “Belverdere is good. The Spice Girls drink it.”

That sentence took its toll on me and I looked at the guy dumbfounded. Two thoughts struck me.

Firstly, why did the guy think mentioning the Spice Girls would sway my decision?

Secondly, what did I think he was going to say? He was obviously going to choose the most expensive one there. Or maybe what Vodka they had the most stock of because it wasn’t selling that week or month. Whatever, his recommendation was probably based on whatever was best for the booze shop, not me.

Also, what did I care? I didn’t really need the Vodka that tasted the best. I had no intention of sipping the stuff straight or smashing down Vodka shots. I was buying it to make Moscow Mules with. For me, the Vodka was just the alcoholic base. Something to give the cocktail a little kick. I wanted the taste to come from the Ginger Beer and Lime.

At the same time, I didn’t want some kind of cheap and cheerful Vodka that would burn my innards out either. You know, the stuff you buy from behind the counter of a suspect corner shop that has a biohazard symbol on it? Yeah, I didn’t need that in my life.

I just wanted something I could trust, at a decent price.

Looking at the shelves in that Bargain Booze at the time, one choice leapt out at me: Smirnoff.

I grabbed a litre bottle and plonked it down on the counter.

The guy sighed and shook his head in a “why did you even ask me” kind of way. But I didn’t care. I was going to make Moscow Mules and have a good time.

And I wasn’t going to spend my entire paper round money doing it either.

What’s Your Point, Baby Spice?

My point is, for that particular occasion I didn’t really care about the answer to the whole is Smirnoff good vodka? question.

What I really cared about is:

If I was drinking the stuff neat or really cared about the taste that much, it would’ve absolutely been a different story. I might’ve tried a more expensive brand. But as a Vodka novice, would I really have tasted the difference neat or in a cocktail? I have my doubts.

That said, Smirnoff is a great brand. It’s been around forever and there’s a reason for that: Smirnoff is a good Vodka.

 

Why is Smirnoff Vodka so Cheap?

Smirnoff Vodka being so cheap in a lot of cases has nothing to do with taste; it’s because the vodka is being mass produced.

Smirnoff is a big company that’s been around for a while and has reached a level where it can produce vodka in big quantities, cheaply.

So, you might then ask: if they can produce the Vodka so cheaply, why don’t they sell it for the same price as more expensive brands?

Essentially, it boils down to supply and demand. For example:

Supply is higher than demand, so the price is lower for the consumer. They don’t need a massive profit per bottle, because they sell a lot of bottles.

Some of the more expensive brands of Vodka will have higher production costs and market their product in such a way that the laws of supply and demand are reversed:

Because there’s more people that want to buy the vodka, than the actual bottles of vodka being produced, they can demand a higher price. The vodka is perceived as rare and people will pay extra.

Is there a Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Vodka?

Cheap and expensive Vodka is a strange one.

Believe it or not cheap vodka has less impurities than expensive vodka, here’s why: the cheap vodka is literally just pure grain alcohol mixed with water. That stuff will burn as it slides down your throat.

Premium Vodka on the other hand contains aromatic impurities that curb the burn of the pure grain alcohol and make for a smoother ride. This is also what makes the Vodka flavour more neutral and a perfect alcoholic base for many cocktails.

What is Vodka Made From?

Basically, Vodka is made from pure grain alcohol and water. If Vodka is bottle at 80% proof, then we’re talking 40 percent alcohol and 60% water.

Is Smirnoff Good Vodka?

So, with all that information to digest I guess you wanna know the answer to the million dollar question: is Smirnoff good vodka?

The short answer is: yes.

 

The long answer is:

But I guess the essence of our review is: it depends what you want to use Smirnoff Vodka for?

If you’re wanting a vodka to sip neat, then you’re going to want a craft, or non-premium, vodka that doesn’t add aromatic additives to make it smoother and more neutral in flavour.

You’re not going to want Smirnoff for that. Smirnoff is a premium vodka that’s smooth AF.

So I guess the question becomes: is Smirnoff good vodka for cocktails? There’s no if’s or but’s about the answer to this question. The answer is is absolutely YES! Smirnoff is great vodka for cocktails.

And We Can Back that Up

Not so long ago, wrote The Best Vodka for Cocktails in 2021 article where I compared 12 of the most popular brands of vodka on the market right now.

We ran 4 tests:

  1. Which vodka is the best value for money.
  2. Which vodka has the best reputation.
  3. Which vodka sells the best on Amazon.
  4. Which vodka has the best Amazon reviews.

When all was said and done, Smirnoff came out on top… and it deserved to. It’s a great vodka.

Read more about that vodka comparison here:

Related Article

The Best Vodka for Cocktails: Everything You Need to Know

Cocktails with Vodka

So, now we have the answer to the is Smirnoff good vodka question I bet you’re thirsty. Do ya wanna make some Smirnoff Vodka cocktails? Great! Here’s 40 vodka cocktail recipes to get you started.

Further Reading

Kris Barton Author
Cocktail connoisseur and season mixologist, Kris Barton has been making (and more importantly drinking) cocktails for most of his adult life. He's the author of all of these quick & easy cocktail recipes you'll want to drink over and over again.

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