Famous Youtube group and now product salesmen. But how does this one stack up to other available Vodkas ? Here is our review of the Sidemens XIX Vodka.
Origin : England , UK
ABV : 40%
Flavour Profile : Triple Distilled, Smooth, Neutral
The Sidemen are a popular Youtube group from the UK that have been making entertaining videos since 2017. Since their rise and in recent years they have been creating various products to be sold on the market , including their Vodka brand XIX Vodka. Various flavours have come out since its release in 2022, but we wanted to focus on the regular plain Vodka for this review. Now there is only so much you can say about a plain Vodka as Vodka is a neutral spirit that is typically used in cocktails and drinks to boost the ABV and not much else. But the key selling point to this Vodka brand is its Triple Distilled creation process which makes it a bit smoother than your average store bought Vodka.
What does it taste like ?
As mentioned, being a regular Vodka it isn't something you will get a lot of flavour from outside of your typical white spirit alcohol burn. But if you are a straight spirits and shots kind of person, then you may be able to appreciate the smoothness of this Vodka and the finess of it compared to some of your usual choices.
What's it like in a drink ?
To understand the quality this Vodka provides, it is probably best served in normal mixer drink such as a Vodka and Coke or with any other light mixer of your choice. Depending on the quantities used, you will get a nice light kick that lets you know you are having a good drink but without making it to unbearable or taking away from the mixers flavours.
In terms of cocktails, you are spoilt for choice in what you could use this in as Vodka cocktails are vast and easy to make these days. If you want to get the most out of the alcoholic bite of this product, then we recommend trying it out in a traditional Vodka Martini.
With little to no mixer ingredients you can fully lock into the straight simpleness of the Vodka whilst still enjoying a quality drink.
If you are looking for something a bit more flavourful and creative, then you might want to throw this into a fruit juice forward cocktail such as a Sex On The Beach. You still get a bit of the dryness of the Vodka but with sweet fruit juice flavours and some peach tones from the Peach Schnapps.
Is it worth my money ?
XIX Vodka comes in various sizes with the smallest 70CL which you will typically be paying around £30 for and the biggest being a 1.5 Litre bottle which will cost £70. These are only slight increase on most standard Vodka brands, but the added value from the extra distillation is clearly there and warrents a slight price increase. Now as mentioned this won't mean much to you if your goal is to create a mixer heavy drink or cocktail as the Vodka gets lost amongst other ingredients. If this is the case then other regular priced brands might be just as useful to you. But if you are a bit of a Vodka connoisseur and can appreciate the little details of a well made Vodka, then this will be one to try out.
Final Thoughts
Celebrity products can sometimes offer little quality and you just end up paying for the branding and fancy packaging. But in our opinion, XIX Vodka does have quality to it that stands out from other brands and makes paying a bit extra worth it. Wether you stock Vodka for home bartending or for casual drinks with friends and family, this is a good product to have stored for use and in our experience a 1.5 Litre bottle goes a long way. With many other flavours to try and more on the way, it will be interesting to see what the future of XIX Vodka is.
Rating : 8/10
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