There's No Doubt That This Is The Worst Popular American Vodka On The Shelves

We all have that one bottle of liquor that's been sitting at the back of a shelf collecting dust for far too long. You know the one — it's probably a vodka that was gifted to you for a party, or maybe a fancy-looking scotch you spent way too much money on for no good reason. If you want to avoid that problem, then there's one popular American vodka brand you should definitely veer away from: Skyy. A longtime bar staple, Skyy is one of the most recognizable American-made vodkas, but like many things, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. Tasting Table tasted and ranked 19 popular American vodkas from worst to best, and Skyy landed at the very bottom of the pack for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, it's not a smooth tasting vodka, with added minerals that create a strange, almost saline-like flavor. Even more disappointingly, we felt that Skyy vodka tasted light and fresh initially, but the finish was too strong and the flavors just weren't balanced. Skyy is missing the pure, clean finish that smaller batch distilleries have mastered, and crucially, it's not a vodka that you can enjoy on the rocks either.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are more than a few Skyy Vodka critics out there. One Reddit user compared it to "nail polish remover" in a thread, while another claimed it tasted more like rubbing alcohol, neither of which are ringing endorsements. A spirit-focused blogger had a similar reaction, writing in a review, "It has a very bland and almost cheap taste."

Another reviewer, who gave the vodka just two out of five stars, noted that Skyy is only drinkable when cold. They quipped, "This vodka is best fresh from the freezer. Keep it chilled, serve it chilled, and drink it before it starts to warm," warning, "All the lovely qualities of Skyy go south fast when it loses the super-freeze." 

We reckon Skyy is reasonably fine in a cold cocktail where the flavor is more masked, like a classic Bloody Mary, for instance. However, if you want to make something more straight up, like an easy dirty martini or a vodka martini with a twist, then Charbay Vodka, which came in first in our ranking, will be much more up your alley.