You would think that if the difference between cheap Vodka and good Vodka was a brita water filter, the guys making the cheap Vodka would just run it through a brita filter and sell it for more...
No, the primary difference between a cheap vodka and an expensive one is marketing. The products themselves are identical.
This 'study' was just a group of folks sitting around reinforcing each others' perceptions and prejudices, swilling vodka, not a true double-blind experiment. It is of zero value.
The U.S. government, which as we all know, is always right, defines vodka in its regulations as "neutral spirits distilled from any material, at or above 190 proof, reduced to not more than 110 proof and not less than 80 proof and after such reduction in proof...(with vegetable charcoal for at least 8 hours)...as to be without distinctive character, aroma, or taste."
In other words, vodka has already been filtered far more effectively than a Brita could manage & there ain't a lick of difference between the cheapest swill on the market and the most expensive imported luxury "little water", other than the fact that the expensive stuff comes in a glass bottle (unlike a plastic jub which
might impart a little flavor). When alcohol comes off a column still that highly fractionated it has no distinctiveness, regardless whether it is made from rye and potatoes or from byproducts of oil refinery or wood pulp (which, BTW, does happen). Unless there is something seriously wrong with the manufacturer's equipment (in which case the taste probably should be the least of your concerns), vodka is vodka.
Generally, at least in the U.S. market, vodka is subsequently cut with distilled water, which also lacks character. However it is true that you could use water from other sources that might have more impurities (and hence, more taste, good or bad), but even carving the water off a glacial in Svalbard isn't going to add too much to the cost of the product. Certainly not enough to account for the 15 fold price delta between some $50 a fifth "super-premium" bottle and the $8 per handle stuff that you buy in the 1.75 liter carafe at the grocery store.
High end vodkas are a perfect example of a
Veblen Good, a commodity whose demand increases as its prices increases because of the band wagon effect, snob appeal and people's erroneous assumption that if something is more expensive it must be better. People respond far more effectively to marketing than they do to actual differences between products. How else do you account for the fact that Bud, Miller & Coors account for more than 3/4ths of the beer sold in the USA (48-18-10%), despite the fact that they are some of the worst tasting
Eselurin on the planet, and relatively expensive to boot.
Vodka is just an ethanol delivery vehicle, anyway, for people who don't want interesting textures and flavors, just grog. It is best consumed in large gulps straight out of the freezer, as it is in Russia, to minimize the nasty flavor inherent in ethanol and maximize its medicinal properties. At that temperature whatever modest difference there arguably are between different products are eliminated.
Unlike these folks, I have done double blind tests on repeated occasions with vodka and drinks made with vodka and NO ONE has ever been able to distinguish the Stoly from the 'Park & Shop' vodka. With one exception. We were making vodka & tonics once and a friend accidentally swallowed the lemon wedge in his haste to consume the vodka. He said that particular belt was somewhat less good, even though it was made from the expensive vodka.
Personally, my days of 'drinking-for-effect' are largely numbered (unless my liver enzyme levels decrease), so I stick to single malt Scotch whisky and an occasional Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster to clear the cobwebs out of my skull.
If you are interested in this topic you can read the erudite ramblings about this article over at
Slashdot.