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DISCLOSURE: It is Cocktails, 365′s policy that it always disclose when we receive samples of liquor to review for the Website. As we tell those who offer samples: we will accept the liquor for review, but that does not guarantee a positive review. Listed below are the opinions of Cocktails, 365 and no one else. And always, thanks and drink up!

Cocktails, 365 Rating: ★★★★★

One of our favorite offerings from Van Gogh vodka is the Double Espresso.

Yes, we’ve already made up our minds about this one, but we’ve also been mixing with it for the past five years, so we’ve become quite familiar with it. Looking back, however, I was pretty surprised that we hadn’t given our fine readers a rundown.

Nose: Wonderful notes of coffee and sweetness. Definitely has a smell of a liqueur versus a vodka, but not overwhelmingly saccharine.

Neat: Looking at the legs, you can tell there’s a heavy sugar content in the vodka, which makes sense considering the sweetness of the flavor. However, upon tasting it, it doesn’t weigh you down with the flavor. It’s a powerful coffee flavor, with a pleasant burn from the vodka on the back-end. Well balanced, and not overly sweet.

On the Rocks: As per usual, the sweetness becomes much more pronounced with the addition of ice, however it doesn’t dilute the flavors of the espresso. It’s a hardy flavor, that’s well-balanced and doesn’t come off like some of the weaker flavored vodkas, that simply smack of flavor dumped into vodka.

Mark Vierthaler is the founder and Editor of Cocktails, 365. His work appeared in The Tasting Panel Magazine, Savvy Host, Liquor.com, and countless other websites and blogs. He is Bar Smarts certified, and works with bars and restaurants in cocktail creation and pairing. To contact him, e-mail cocktails365@markvierthaler.com