You don’t need to spend anything more than kettle one. It’s a super simple lab process it’s not like whiskey which has a lot of complexity.

Biggest differences I see are between grain and potato based. I love rye base vodka. It has a sutle sweetness and almost oily mouth feel. I go for Sobieski most of the time.

People who never had Belvedere or Chopin simply don't know that a vodka shot doesn't have to be a painful experience.

Vodka for some reason has always made me nauseated and it often did result in vomiting. None of the other alcohols have ever made me nauseated or nor made me puke, not even in high, undiluted amounts. So I realized if I do want to get drunk, I cannot go wrong with whiskey.

Maybe there is a vodka that would be different.

Whisky will typically give you a worse experience the day after.

High-grade vodka is about producing a product free of impurities for the cleanest possible flavour. High-grade whisky is about capturing as many impurities as possible (particularly wood and peat) for a more complex flavour.

There is a huge variety of whiskies (even if restricting things to "whiskey", i.e. American or Irish) so that might depend on the product.

Also people experience the morning after differently I guess. As I get older whisky and red wine tend to hit harder.

The nice thing is Chopin is only $20 these days, too. There was a massive price drop a few years back that has fortunately stuck.

Does this bear out in double-blind tests?

If it's not 100% pure ethanol, are you even a connoisseur?