UA to introduce Wheatley's vodka onboard, summer 2018 & now Tito's back May 2023
 

"Starting this summer, we will begin offering Wheatley Vodka as our exclusive vodka brand on flights worldwide. Wheatley Vodka is a craft distilled vodka created by the same makers as the award winning Buffalo Trace bourbon." -- via a friend of mine in communications.

No public announcement yet, nor transition date.

I'd rather have vodka from people that make, umm, vodka?

Why. Just, why?? Tito’s is perfect!!

On Distiller.com, Wheatley has a 90 rating, whereas Tito's only has an 80. I do like Tito's in cocktails, though.

Tito's is great and will be missed. We should all be grateful UA is not switching to Georgi vodka :D

Do they have the supplies to make a vodka martini, including olives?

I take this as an encouraging sign that they aren't considering "enhancing" their liquor selection by eliminating Buffalo Trace in the near future.

Seems like this should be better than Tito's anyway, although I don't profess to be a vodka expert.

i was expecting dubra, majorska or popov (ahhh.... high school days). i'm pleasantly surprised.

total wine retails a handle of tito's at $30, whereas wheatley is $24.

if wheatley is distributed in my neck of the woods, i'll give it a shot for national moscow mule day this saturday.

I'm not much of a vodka drinker... I haven't tried Wheatley but I'm willing to give it a go. At least it's not bargain-basement stuff.

JUST DON'T TOUCH THE SCOTCH... please, United, leave well enough alone here!

I am not a vodka expert either, but I listened to an excerpt today of Marketplace Money about Vodka that mentioned that Vodka as a matter of law (regulation?) has to be

"‘neutral spirits so distilled, or so treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials, as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste, or color."

(Title 27, Section 5.22 of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Code)

I think this is the episode; I queued the full podcast for future enjoyment. For now I will assume that United is replacing one non-distinctive liquid with another one. And I'll take shelter awaiting the flaming from resident Vodka aficionados (again, remember, I am not a vodka expert/drinker) :)

Having spent a lot of time at places like the vodka bar at Red Square at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, I can tell you there definitely exist differences between various vodkas.

However, having spent a lot of time at places like the vodka bar at Red Square at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, I'm not sure I could coherently explain what any of the differences are :D :o

Announcement here.

I don't care what they do to the vodka, just don't get rid of the Bailey's ... coffee needs it in the morning, and so do I after a trans-(con, pac, atl) flight!

Meh. Vodka is vodka in my mind. Don't touch the other spirits where taste actually matters!

buying two products from one supplier = $$$ savings me thinks. UA will probably pass it off as giving a superior product to the customers but in reality this probably just saves them some change.

I don't really care about Vodka either (they just better not get rid of the Glenfarclas!). Since I'm not a Bloody Mary fan, I'll sometimes do a vodka-cranberry on a morning flight, but that's about it.

That's too bad. I liked Tito's for the taste, as well as the GF aspect to it.

First thing I thought when I saw this thread was "Popov".

I've never tried Wheatley vodka, but I'm running to Binny's to try some right now! I'll report back. This may be a good or a bad thing. Tito's was more of the "cool" vodka. I wish they would take Chicago's very own Effen Vodka!

I did the same thing. Went to Binnys and bought some. It's actually pretty good folks. Or Koval would have been cool had they chosen something Chicago.

What's the current scotch lineup?

Glenfarclas 12 year... otherwise known as the "G-stuff"!

As long as it's not Russian, I'm good with it

This is so... Orwellian. I mean, I have no problem with the change. It sounds like a good idea (I don't drink vodka, either on UA or elsewhere, so I have no dog in the fight... but objectively it sounds like Wheatley might be a net improvement over Tito's if you're not gluten-intolerant). But the crafting of the announcement is perverse. Let me count the ways.

1. Buffalo Trace (not to mention its parent company Sazerac) is huge. They produce a lot of brands. You really can't draw much of a conclusion from "...made from the same master distiller who produces Buffalo Trace."
2. The fact that this is made from "the same wheat" as Pappy is... irrelevant. Wheat is always a minority ingredient in bourbon. And it's pretty much a commodity. And the actual grain -- its terroir, or whatever -- is the tiniest contributor to the flavor. It's what you do with it. This is almost like saying "I boil my pasta in the same water as [insert famous restaurant/chef]!"
3. Finally, what puts me over the edge here is "...as is used to produce legendary bourbons such as Pappy Van Winkle and Weller." Seriously? I mean, I like the Weller line. I have a bottle of Special Reserve downstairs as I write this. Shoot, if I wasn't about to crack open a new bottle of Maker's 46, I'd go pour myself a splash of Weller as soon as I finished this rant! But... a bottle of Weller runs about $21.99. It's the best $20 bourbon you can buy (AFAIK), and to be fair it is wheated (like Pappy), but... a bottle of Pappy will run you roughly $2,000-3,000 on the secondary market right now. This is like saying "Ford Motor company, maker of famous automobiles like the GT and the Fiesta."

Okay, I'm done ranting. But how does United manage to actually make a "change I'm going to like"... yet announce it in a way that makes me cringe?

P.S. Before somebody out-nerds me... the William Larue Weller (antique collection) does warrant being mentioned in the same breath as Pappy, so maybe I'm being unfair. But there are three other Weller bourbons than run about $20 or so per bottle, so I mostly stand by my rant.

Not flaming... :cool:

While the regulations state that vodka should be without distinctive taste, there definitely are differences that result from the ingredients and the processes used to make it. To me, vodka made from corn (e.g. Titos, Platinum, Prairie) has a distinct sweetness. Vodka made from sugar cane (e.g. Ocean) has even more sweetness along with a slight caramel finish. Potato vodka (e.g. Chopin, Luksusowa) has milder sweetness along with a slightly oily finish. The one vodka made from grapes I've tasted (Ciroc) definitely has a grape/wine flavor. Wheat vodkas vary considerably from light, clean, and almost flavorless (e.g. Grey Goose, Belvedere) to heavy and oily (less expensive brands). In the end, it's really a matter of personal preference. I prefer potato based vodka, while my wife likes wheat based vodkas. YMMV!

I hadn't heard of Wheatly Vodka before seeing this thread. However, the other vodka made by Buffalo Trace is "Platinum" which, for its price, is quite good as a vodka for mixers. I'm also a fan of their Bourbons.

I would be curious if these things actually show up in blind taste tests. Because for instance "sugar vodka tastes a little sweet" is the kind of thing people would tend to say if they know the vodka is made that way.

The way I came to all of my conclusions was through blind taste tests. I conduct these routinely with my wife when we try a new vodka. I'll pour two (or more) identical glasses with different vodkas and my wife will taste them blind. Then she'll randomize the glasses and I'll taste them blind. She's much better at distinguishing flavors and aromas than I am (she has the nose that knows).

Now that I've read about Wheatley I'm going to purchase a bottle today and taste it blind tonight with my wife and some friends (who are also vodka lovers). We'll taste the Wheatley against Platinum and Grey Goose (I'm all out of potato vodka, but I might fix that at the store while I'm at it...).

Looks like this part of a broader revamp of the on board menu. They don't say they're dropping Tito's though. Given that this is a craft cocktail I bet they keep Tito's stock and only stock a VERY limited number of the new vodka like they used to do with Buffalo Trace

As someone who does not like Titos, I am looking forward to tasting Wheatley.

Whaaaat!!? Tito' s is gluten free. Don't change it!

I am a Belvedere Vodka fan(:

I Absolut-ly care about my vodka. But cheap is fine.

From the OP:
"...offering Wheatley Vodka as our exclusive vodka brand..."

That sounds like titos is out to me, but maybe it can be interpreted differently.

My bad. I missed that part of the text. I guess it will be the only vodka on board. C'est la vie Titos!

Don't count your chickens (buffaloes). I was told about 2 weeks ago by a flight attendant that buff trace was on the way out...
"Oh, you got the last one, we're phasing it out soon"
ymmv
e

You mean like Imperia or Beluga? Or even the rusky standard? All superior vodkas to titos...

sure if you're talking popov or smirnoff... russians actually know their vodka better than most...