I was fortunate enough to try Vicious Vodka back in November, and it proved to be one of to be one of the best vodkas I have ever tried, caffeinated or no. This spirit uses grains to create its very smooth flavor, and the process in which they caffeinate their liquor is a closely guarded patented secret.
In my last review of their product, they scored very high marks in just about every category. In taste, Vicious Vodka is better than all other mid-priced vodkas like Skyy or Absolut - and can easily stand with the top tier vodkas in taste and quality. In terms of buzz, Vicious states it has the most caffeine of any caffeinated vodka, although the FDA is supposedly limiting all alcohols to no more than around 45mg per 12 ounces (or the amount found in a Coke Zero, or a little less than a Diet Mountain Dew). I found the buzz much stronger than that - in that while I did not feel pumped on caffeine, I did feel much much more awake and alert after consuming. Even their website was well crafted and appealing.
The only place for any real improvement was the in the package. This was in a wine bottle of sorts before, where the only uniqueness in a playing field littered with glow in the dark bottles, bottles that come in unique shapes and sizes, even ones created by the top French designers, was that theirs had a corked top.
Fortunately, they have now redone the bottle - frosting it and giving it the needed touch to really make it look vampiric. The choice of fonts and new red and black coloring on the label really make this stand out from the shelf, and give a needed bloodthirsty savagery to the hard liquor shelf. While not revolutionary in package design, this change was very welcome and without doubt moves the score from a 6 to a well deserved 9.
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