Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions Cucumber & Lime

Nose - crisp cucumber, lime juice, damp grass, synthetic sweetener, black pepper, slight ethanol sting. Palate - tart cucumber, sugary lime, more pronounced grain, black pepper, vanilla, artificial sweetener, gentle alcohol nip, ending medium and grainy with tart cucumber, lime juice, vanilla, and fake sweetener notes. This is better than those Absolut Juice versions, but not as good as the Effen Cucumber from yesterday. The artificial, chemical sweetener taste is unpleasant. Actually, as I write this after tasting, I'm detecting that dry, chemical sensation left after consuming Diet Coke or putting Sweet’N Low on your tongue. It’s quite off-putting. I had intended to rate this higher, but that strange, sticky sensation on the finish is a dealbreaker, so this gets a bad score. I imagine it's acceptable in a cocktail, but I would prefer to drink from that Jim Beam Original bottle than try this again.

The aroma is like fresh cucumber. The lime is present but seems to enhance the cucumber's brightness. It smells better than it tastes, though it's not unpleasant. It just falls a bit short, tasting watery with a very brief finish.