Grey Goose La Vanille Premium Flavoured Vodka, 70cl

Product Information

Grey Goose is a top shelf vodka, and it proved to create a top-shelf vanilla extract. After a year, the vanilla bean taste became much more pronounced making it one of the most fully rounded vanilla extracts that we have ever made. If you're going for a bold vanilla taste and an aged vanilla extract that you allow to rest for more than a year, this is the vodka you should use. Made in France with a winter wheat blend that is truly unique. While we found this cognac to err more on the smokey side vs. a brandy or a Hennessy, it still proved to be sweet, complex and full bodied on the nose and palate in its finished extract form. It's a wonderful spirit and a less expensive price if you choose to make a go at your first cognac vanilla extract. Mexican, Madagascar or Indonesian vanilla beans are best for this specific spirit. For its price, Maker's Mark is a great bourbon to begin with. It's made with a soft, red winter wheat instead of rye, which softens the bold tones found so often in most bourbons. What that means to you as an extract maker? It means that the vanilla has room to shine through and present itself within the complicated overtones of the bourbon. Simply stated, it's a perfect mixture of smokey and sweet and allows for a pure, rich bourbon extract experience. We recommend this bourbon as a great starting point for new extract makers.

The water used in production comes from the natural spring, Gensac-la-Pallue, in the Cognac region, where it gets filtered through Champagne limestone. Grey Goose is crafted with locally sourced soft winter wheat grown in Picardy (known as "the breadbasket of France"), a wheat-growing region in France. The grain is sown in October and harvested in August. This wheat, classified as "superior bread-making wheat,” is the only grain used in Grey Goose. According to Thibault, soft wheat, as opposed to hard wheat, is better for distilling, the four additional months of growth in comparison to summer wheat yielding a more durable grain. This is one of those instances where price and final quality did not match up. Four Roses is a nice bourbon and a little more expensive than Maker's Mark. But something about its bold spice and honey tone made it a difficult marriage with vanilla beans. The final taste was too complicated and hard to find an application for. While it wasn't the worst bourbon extract that we ever tried, it certainly didn't meet its mark in our experiment. Like cooking and baking new treats for the first time, vanilla extract making should also be fun! We couldn't help ourselves when we made our first ever vanilla extract using coconut rum. While we don’t recommend using spirits that contain artificial flavors, this extract was a fun blend. Something about the coconut and the vanilla that made the experiment and the outcome surprisingly delightful. So why the B- grade? Because, outside of using it for coconut cream pies or pineapple up-side-down cakes, its applications are very limited. If you really love coconut and you really love vanilla, then you may want to give this a try. There are three broad types of tequila: 1) a "Silver" which is distilled and immediately bottled, 2) a "Reposado" (rested) which is stored in a cask for 2-12 months and 3) an "Anejo" (old) which is stored in a cask for 1-4 years. We didn't believe that the taste of tequila would blend well with vanilla, and we were absolutely wrong. A vanilla extract made with a great tequila is a wonderful treat.Similar to tequilas with their silvers, reposados and anejos, a brandy and cognac are put into three distinct categories as well. 1)Very Special (VS) for a minimum age of 2 years, 2) Very Special Old Pale (VSOP) for a minimum age of 4 years and, 3) Extra Old (XO) for a minimum age of six years. When we began our cognac/brandy vanilla extract making journey, we truly believed that cognac would be the clear winner. Once again, we were wrong. And in this case, one of the least expensive options proved to be our very favorite.

As we did with the rum, we are going to start with a semi-top shelf bourbon. A common theme that you will see at VanillaPura is quality. When developing a quality extract, you can't overlook the spirit any more than you can overlook the importance of the vanilla bean itself. Woodford Reserve is one of the best bourbons in America. It has dark and smokey undertones, and since it's 51% corn based, it's sweet. But there is something of the sweetness within Woodford Reserve that is special. You can taste caramel, honey and vanilla all within the spirit itself. A Woodford Reserve bourbon extract made with an Indonesian or Mexican bean is the perfect dark chocolate, rich extract for darker desserts and even in BBQ sauces and protein glazes to add a hint of sweetness. A legendary spirit from a legendary distillery. This bourbon was recommended to us by one of our Facebook Group members, and it did not disappoint. This bourbon proved to blend well with Indonesian vanilla beans, especially Sumatra Indonesian beans. It is incredibly rich with a delicate blend of honey and caramel, and can you think of two flavors more complimentary in your homemade vanilla extract than honey and caramel? It has regular bourbon characteristics, just as a smokey undertone and a subtle bite, but it's a great bourbon base for first-time extract makers that are looking for something bold, but not overpowering. It can be distilled from any type of grains, potatoes, or even grapes worldwide. Due to its simplicity, this unaged spirit's main flavor factor is the quality of water and the ingredients used in the distillation process. We like white rum for two reasons: 1) It is sugar-based which means you will get a sweeter extract, and 2) It is mostly tasteless, which means that after a year of extraction, you will primarily just taste the vanilla beans. This makes white rum a great kind of alcohol to use when experimenting with different beans. Try a white rum with a Tongan vanilla bean vs. a white rum with a Madagascar vanilla bean and you will smell and taste the dramatic difference between those beans almost immediately. As such, white rum's applications are almost universal. A Mexican vanilla extract made in a white rum can be used in almost any dessert, making this our favorite choice. Captain Morgan white rum specifically is a little less strong and more subtle, which results in a creamy and smooth extract. Remember: When selecting your spirit, " Pure Vanilla Extract" must always be made with a minimum 35% alcohol, so you need to buy 70 proof spirits (or greater than 70 proof) to maximize vanilla bean extraction. In our experience you should not exceed 50% alcohol, or 100 proof, as it will damage your vanilla beans.We have tried making vanilla extracts with vodkas that have artificial flavors. At first glance, using a vanilla-flavored vodka to make vanilla extract sounds like a great idea. Or perhaps a strawberry vodka for a strawberry/vanilla extract. In each of these cases, our extracts tasted metallic and unnatural. With the exception of coconut rum and spiced rum, we do not recommend using artificially-flavored spirts for at home extract making. In addition, grapes from the Cognac region of France (that also produce Champagne, we might add) are special. Their taste is unique and truly does provide a beautiful, aromatic, rich vanilla extract experience. Taste of wild strawberries meet lemongrass with just a touch of citrus for an aromatic spirit like no other. This unique spirit is vodka infused with real fruit and botanical essences. Explore Strawberry & Lemongrass Over the past couple of decades, Grey Goose has established itself as the UK’s top premium vodka brand. It’s been a long time since they’ve deviated from their classic formula, but they recently announced a new flavour — vanilla. Or Grey Goose La Vanille, as it’s been branded, as a nod to its origins in Cognac, France.