I'd be interested in both of your assessments. I'm not a huge vodka lover and I strongly suspect that of all beer/liquor/wine fanatics, vodka fanatics are the least likely to know what they are talking about. After all, how can you get so worked up about a beverage that, at it's best, is meant to taste like nothing at all? You might as well be a reverse-osmosis water fanatic, imho. So, from the start, I view vodka snobs with suspicion.
My suspicion of vodka lovers, however, is further fueled by the fact that many of them get excited about flavored vodkas, most of which use artificial flavoring and colors. As bad as it is to get excited about a flavorless beverage, it's even worse to get excited about the adult equivalent of a children's sno-cone. Even the naturally-flavored vodkas rouse my suspicion because it's really nothing more than a simple infusion that most people could do at home with minimal effort. I just don't see why you would get excited about something you could do yourself with just a couple minutes of effort.
SWMBO has a friend who insists on always buying "top shelf". I scoff at him for not experimenting and I suppose he thinks I am a cheapskate. When he was over the other day, he mentioned my lack of grenadine, to which SWMBO replied that we use pomegranate liqueur in its place. He said there was no replacement for grenadine! When SWMBO told me this, I laughed. Why is he adamantly defending the use of an artificially colored, artificially flavored, corn-syrup filled mixer? Especially when a naturally-flavored substitute is available (Pama). This is my view of vodka snobs- they come off as knowledgeable, but really don't have much to say.
Anyway, I'm open to opinions. I'm trying to keep an open mind. Depending on how your tastings go, I may keep Tito's in my rotation... the price is nice enough.
So when anybody gives it a try, feel free to post up with a review.