Absolut Raspberri

Smell: Artificial berry scents, both positively and negatively perceived (see below). Taste: Sweet, strongly artificial berry flavor reminiscent of a children's cough medicine. The texture ought to be smooth, but the harsh flavor works against it. A sour, mineral-like note is present. Aftertaste: Brief, yet it felt too long. The artificial berry flavor persists. This is the final tasting sample from the Absolut set I recently acquired, and I deliberately saved what I anticipated would be either the best or the worst for last. It is the worst. There's a brief, perfect moment upon first smelling this when you think, "Oh, this is pleasant; it smells just like fresh berries." That feeling lasts for about two seconds. Then, your senses are overwhelmed by the distinct impression of smelling berry-flavored soda. This momentarily throws you off balance, but you quickly adjust and think, "Okay, that's not quite what I initially thought, but it's acceptable." Then the disaster strikes. Suddenly, as if crashing through a barrier, an overwhelming wave of berry-flavored cough syrup hits, shattering the illusion. Upon tasting it, all your worst fears are confirmed. An abundance of artificial berry flavor and nothing else. The shift from positive to negative in this profile is extremely rapid. It's a very inferior flavored vodka, and I absolutely would not suggest it. The Absolut Lime and Citron are good spirits, and I would consider purchasing either as an alternative to gin with tonic. The Vanilla vodka is somewhat unusual but enjoyable and palatable. This one is simply... unpleasant. Its only redeeming quality is that the base spirit is of excellent quality. Tasted from a 50ml retail sample. "Poor": 60/100 (1 star)

Decent, smooth, but a bit too sweet. Requires a specific mood for raspberries; better suited for cocktails.

This is also quite enjoyable. It's easy to drink neat and delightful when mixed with lemonade.

Good raspberry flavor with crisp vodka. All in all, a very nice flavor.

I typically enjoy Absolut, but this one is terrible. I won't drink it again.

Very sweet with pleasant raspberry notes.