Vodka ranks with rum, gin, tequila and whiskey as one of the five essential types of liquor for any bar. I don’t consume vodka very much, preferring instead to spend my liquor money on premium whiskey and rum. Some vodkas are premium in taste and quality and can cost a pretty penny. Then, there are those brands that are designed for occasions where quantity is more important than quality. One such product is Barton Vodka, a budget priced vodka.
Basic Characteristics of This Liquor:
Barton Vodka is distilled entirely from grain and it has an aroma that is alcoholic with hints of charcoal and mineral water. The body of this spirit is medium in fullness and swirls around in a glass with ease.
This vodka has a taste that features flavors like alcohol, wood, grain, and charcoal up front. If you let the taste fade for a while, you will notice an aftertaste that has taste qualities like a piece of lightly flavored fruit candy. This taste at the end is really present in the middle as well, but it is overpowered by the other flavors so you don’t really notice it until the end.
Barton Vodka is 80 proof (40 percent alcohol by volume). There is also a 100- proof variety, but I have only sampled the 80 proof version. It is packaged in a plastic bottle so you don't need to worry about breakage.
Drinks Made with This Liquor:
Barton Vodka tastes best when mixed with sweet drinks- those that don’t require a great- tasting, premium spirit to taste good. Here are a few drinks I recommend making with this vodka:
Mudslide
1 oz. Barton Vodka
1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Combine above ingredients and pour over ice in a rocks glass.
Bullfrog
1.5 oz. Barton Vodka
.25 oz. Triple Sec
5 oz. Lemonade
Combine all ingredients in a Collins glass and stir.
Blue Hawaii
1.5 oz. Barton Vodka
.5 oz. Blue Curacao
.5 oz. Cream of Coconut
3 oz. Pineapple juice
This drink can be made on the rocks by shaking all ingredients with ice and then pouring into a hurricane glass or frozen by combining all ingredients with a scoop of ice, blending until smooth, and then pouring into a hurricane glass.
Final Thoughts:
Barton Vodka is Barton’s top selling distilled spirit and it accounts for a large portion of the company’s sales. This vodka is distilled and bottled in Kentucky, California, and Georgia making it one of a handful of domestic vodka products with recognizable names.
Barton Vodka, like other Barton products, is best known not for its taste or quality but for its low price. Like I alluded to above, Barton Vodka is usually found on the bottom shelf at most liquor stores, right next to the Popov and other vodkas with sophisticated sounding names but unsophisticated taste. It is usually located (purposely) far away from the Grey Goose, Absolut, and other premium brands on the liquor store shelves and those who consider themselves connoisseurs in the world of vodka wouldn’t be caught dead making a purchase of a product like Barton.
But is Barton Vodka deserving of the low respect it receives? Well, from tasting and evaluating this vodka on several levels, I come away with the conclusion that this vodka is ok for mixing but not good for shots- the same conclusion I have drawn with other Barton brands. More specifically, this vodka is best suited for sweeter drinks that have many other ingredients besides the vodka. This way, Barton Vodka fulfills its purpose of adding a kick to the drink but is hidden well enough in the background that its harsh flavors are not so noticeable. Under no circumstances would I use this vodka in a drink that has only one other ingredient and this is especially true with dry drinks. A vodka martini, for example, would taste dreadful mixed with this vodka. Its flavor makes it suitable only in drinks that have multiple ingredients so that you don’t notice the taste of the Barton Vodka.
Let’s go back to the price for a second since this is the primary selling point of the Barton Vodka brand. If low price and high quantity is what you want, it is tough to beat a product like Barton Vodka. It sells for only about $7.50 per liter or $11 for a 1.75 liter bottle. Compare this to the high price you pay for similar bottle of a premium brand (Absolut Vodka, for example, costs about $25 per liter or $38 for a 1.75 liter bottle) and it is easy to see why Barton Vodka, in spite of its flawed character, is such a big seller.
Barton 80 proof vodka is sold in 50 ml, 200ml, 375 ml, 750ml, 1 liter, and 1.75 liter bottles. There are enough size choices to get the exact amount you need. But be forewarned that the larger sizes cost so little extra money that you will be likely to leave the liquor store with the 1.75 liter size. Whenever I have gone to the store to buy vodka, intending on buying only one liter, I inevitably leave with the 1,75 liter size because it seems foolish to settle for a one- liter bottle when the 1.75 liter gives you 75 percent more vodka for only $3.50 additional cost.
Overall, Barton Vodka is a passable vodka for purposes of mixing drinks that are sweeter and/or drinks that contain at least two other ingredients. Barton isn’t very tasty served straight up and it doesn’t taste very good in drinks that emphasize the flavor of the vodka. Its label might depict an eagle with spread wings, trying to give the vodka an image of strength and character. But the only strength you will find here is the alcohol and there is nothing memorable about the character.
With all factors weighed in (price, mixability, taste taken straight, etc.) I consider Barton Vodka a 2.5 star product. I will round this down to 2 stars for my final rating and give it a slight non- recommendation. It’s dirt cheap, yes, and it does accommodate sweeter drinks. But the more I think about the taste straight up, the less inclined I am to rate this product with any more than two stars. The harsh flavor of a Barton Vodka shot is difficult to tolerate and I don’t recommend drinking it in this manner. It’s mixed drinks or nothing when it comes to the Barton brand.
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