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[40%, sampled in Kazakhstan]

It was in the winter of 2016, and I was in the south of Kazakhstan, in a small town that had an awesome burger joint called Soul Food. My hotel room wasn’t very warm, so I wrapped a blanket around my body and got out some vodka. Then I sat down to work on my blog.

The vodka was called Tau Brilliant (Тау Бриллиант), and I was going to have it in the most appropriate way: neat and at room temperature, with a small serving of pickles.

Tau Brilliant is average

The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was a biting smell. It wasn’t very strong, but it was definitely there. I poured a shot, and the taste turned out to be sweetish but more fiery than it should have been. Tau Brilliant was a slightly sweet burning sensation that went down my throat and left my mouth hot.

The aftertaste was a bit better, though. It was simple and lasting, a pleasant aroma that reminded me somewhat of wheat.

awkward crystals

Now that I look at the bottle design, it seems a bit awkward. The ground glass doesn’t really go together with the crystal applications in the center and in the cap. It looks like cheap booze trying to masquerade as a top shelf brand.

Check out the price, though! I got this 500ml bottle of Tau Brilliant for 6 euros, which was pretty affordable. There are many vodka brands in Kazakhstan that are cheaper than this one. But it’s still bang for the buck when you compare it to prices in Europe.

Overall, this vodka is pretty average.