johnny love : high class vodka at a low class price

Several weeks ago, while enjoying a few carafes of dill infused goodness at my favorite vodka bar, I met a man who was an unabashed evangelist. 

He preached, almost unprovoked, a very peculiar gospel, one completely foreign to me. 

He raved about the soul saving, all forgiving, almost angelic kindness of: Johnny Love Vodka. 

I was enthralled. 

In all of my libation persuing expeditions, I had not yet heard of this mysterious line. 

Buzzed though I was, ponder it I did.

You can imagine my delight when a package arrived on my doorstep recently overflowing with the forbidden fruit itself; all 5 varieties (1 straight, 4 fruit flavored) of Johnny Love Vodka, sent for my review.

THE TEST

This past Saturday I invited Urban Monarch contributor/fellow alcohol enthusiast Greg Cerveny, (along with Raquel, his lovely girlfriend) over to put the samples to the ultimate test:  our discerning palates.

The set up would be as follows;

Each vodka, in turn, would be sampled straight up, on the rocks. 

(According to the press kit, the line was conceived with hopes of duplicating the smooth flavors of founder Johnny Methany’s custom cocktails, but without any mixing required).

Next, we would try each with club soda (my typical vodka mixer of choice, which helps diffuse the sometimes harsh taste of the high-proof spirit solo).

Finally, we would indulge in some of the mixed cocktails recommended by Johnny himself.

What follows is an uncensored recap of that afternoon’s ahem, ‘intoxicating’ experience.

JOHNNY LOVE TANGERINE

Described by the company literature as “fragrant, ripe and sensual” the Tangerine proved a perfect starting point for our journey into Johnny Love.

On the rocks, Raquel noted only a “slight vodka taste afterwards” which was proceeded by a smooth “sweet taste of tangerines”.  Greg and I echoed her sentiment, and I fell under the spell of its aroma almost immediately.

With the addition of club soda, the Tangerine truly came to life.  Greg compared it to ‘orange soda’ while I noticed that in this incarnation, the aftertaste was completely gone. 

Finally, we tried the “Tangerine Dream” which was a heavenly mixture of

• JLove Tangerine
• Peach Schnapps (which we didn’t have, so we substituted Triple Sec)
• Orange Juice
• Cranberry Juice

The concoction was delicious, although you need to exercise caution in the proportions, as the Tangerine flavor can definitely disappear if you’re not careful.  Greg compared the flavor to ’sorbet’.

JOHNNY LOVE APPLE

Sadly, this one proved to be quite a disappointment, at first.  The “green apple essence” which is described by JL as “crisp and tart for a fresh picked flavor” reminded all of us of maple syrup, at least from a fragrance perspective. 

On the rocks, it was almost tough to finish.  It seemed overly sweet, and the smell distracted from the intended flavor. 

Club soda to the rescue; mixing it seemed to coax the apple taste out of the vodka, and it was far more enjoyable in this format. 

Finally, we tried a “Green Apple” which more or less redeemed this flavor completely.

Green Apple

• JLove Apple
• Pineapple Juice
• Orange Juice

This delectable beverage was a tiki-tastic trip to the tropics.  Smooth, easy going down and in the words of Greg, quite simply “damn good”.  I couldn’t agree more. 

JOHNNY LOVE VODKA

JLove’s straight vodka is the only one of the line that’s 80 proof.  This is typical of most vodkas (for some reason, the flavored varieties usually clock in at 70 proof).

On the rocks, I have to give JLove definite credit.  One aspect of the line I haven’t mentioned yet, but will rave about in my conclusion as well is the price. 

Here in Denver, a 750ml of JLove goes for around $13. 

The smoothness was incredible at this price point. 

During the tasting, I mentioned it exceeding Vox, Stoli, and Absolut from a flavor perspective. Greg was somewhat more reserved, but definitely gave it the edge over “Smirnoff and Absolut”.

His description of it could apply to the entire line, and was really quite apt:

“ultra-premium well”

I think that sums it up perfectly.  With soda, it was deemed “standard” by the other two taste testers, but for me, dare I say it, it seemed almost on par with Level, which is my holy grail of vodka+sodas.

Finally, we tried it mixed with pineapple (for me) and with cranberry juice (for them).  One word was used over an over to describe it here “transparent”. 

I cannot believe this vodka sells for $13. 

JOHNNY LOVE ALOHA

Without a doubt our favorite of the entire line.  Described in the brochure as “a paradise of pineapple essence with hints of coconut and citrus” this flavor exceeded our every expectation.

On the rocks, I found it overly sweet, but could tell it had incredible potential.  Greg called it “rough, but tasty”.

With club soda, the flavor spectrum leaped to life.   To me, it was “tropical and fun, tasty” and the coconut flavor seemed far more prevalent.  For Greg it was “Yummy soda pineapple” which seems obvious, but given the amount of vodka we’d sampled at this point I was happy he could still write at all. 

Finally, we tried the “Hawaiian Punch”:

• JLove Aloha
• Cranberry Juice
• Pineapple Juice

From “I need a little umbrella.. it’s a sunset beach in a cup, delicious” to the quite telling “Is there alcohol in this drink?” we all agreed this was one of the best cocktails we’ve tried.  Ever.

JOHNNY LOVE PASSION

I must admit, I’ve never seen, nor tried a passion fruit flavored vodka before, and after sampling JLove’s, perhaps it’s for the best.  I could not finish my small sample of this on the rocks.  The smell and taste combined into something that seemed almost unholy.  In an effort to maintain Urban Monarch’s reputation as a classy publication, I’ll refrain from revealing the graphic details about what Greg and Raquel swore this smelled, and tasted like. 

However, I’ll give you a clue; it has something to do with the female anatomy.

With soda, the taste became simply “tolerable” for me, while Raquel kindly said it was “much, much better”.

Oh my God.  As I look through our tasting notes on this one, there is a single word repeated so often I find myself laughing like a junior high school boy who just learned a dirty joke.  I wish I could reveal it, but again, it’s simply not suitable.  It’s not good though, in the context of describing a drink.

Needless to say, mixing this up as a cocktail, in the “Passionate Kiss”:

• JLove Passion
• Orange Juice
• Cranberry Juice
• Sweet & Sour

helped, but only somewhat.  This was without a doubt our least favorite of the line.

CONCLUSION

An unbelieveable vodka value for the price, just steer clear of the Passion.  I’d love to write more but Argonaut Liquors should be opening in a bit, and a bottle of Aloha is calling my name.

-Cash

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