Luctor International, importer of Van Gogh Vodka, has established a benchmarking system that compares and rates its own spirits against some of America’s favorite tastes, a first for the spirits industry.

Van Gogh Vodka routinely receives rave reviews from industry experts, including the coveted five-star rating from Spirit Journal. But those ratings make no effort to calibrate or accurately rate vodka flavors in a way that is meaningful to consumers.

Van Gogh’s rating system allows cocktail lovers to compare our flavored vodkas to popular food items that are considered the “standards” for that flavor. Testers use a rating system, factoring in aroma, as well as taste, to determine each flavor’s level of accuracy against the standard.

"If flavored vodka is to retain the lead as the most popular and fastest growing spirit, we owe it to consumers to have quality control standards in place to ensure we are delivering superior beverages," said David van de Velde, president of Luctor International.