Gorbatschow Blue Label

Germany

Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka

politics and vodka

This is a review of Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka from Germany. I sampled it in Germany in 2010. It’s clear, 37.5% alcohol, and I thought it was meh.

Believe it or not, but Germany does have a few original vodka brands. And Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka is one of them.

Now you’re probably thinking: why would a brand from Germany use a former Soviet leader’s name? WTF.

Well, I thought this was due to the fact that Germans have been generally sympathetic towards Mikhail Gorbachev. After all, he allowed for the German Democratic Republic to be gobbled up by the Federal Republic of Germany in the early 1990s. But this is not it.

there are many Gorbachevs

It’s 2021 now, and I’m revising some of my older reviews. I went to wodka-gorbatschow.de to learn more. The website features a very tired looking German musician and the words 100 JAHRE (100 years):

Gorbatschow vodka site
from wodka-gorbatschow.de on September 27th 2021

As it turns out, Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka has nothing to do with the Soviet Union. Much like Smirnoff Red Label #21, it was originally created in Russia and taken abroad by immigrants:

Gorbatschow vodka site
from wodka-gorbatschow.de on September 27th 2021

Uhum.

what should you expect from Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka?

I have to admit that this origin story is pretty nice. But it seems as though Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka is still a lower-shelf product. The bottle design seems generic, and while the price of 11€ for 700ml is the same as that of the Smirnoff Red Label #21, you will usually find it a bit lower, near the bottom of the shelves.

That doesn’t mean it can’t be tasty. But it doesn’t bode well.

to chill and to mix

Well, Gorbatschow Blue Label vodka turned out to be barely okayish. It tasted pretty good as long as it was cold, but it started revealing its flaws at room temperature: a rough taste and a lack of aroma in the aftertaste.

Overall, it’s an uninteresting vodka. Buy it if you can’t get anything better. Chill it, and use it in mixed drinks.