Review: Black Infusions Vodkas – Gold Apricot, Dark Cherry, and Black Fig

Black Infusions is based in Bend, Oregon, and their focus is singular: Making fruit-infused vodkas that are free of artificial colors, sugars, and flavors. Each vodka has just two ingredients, vodka and the fruit noted on the label — in this case, apricot, cherry, or fig. Given the depth of color of the spirits, those claims seem impossible, until you realize that there must be a ton of fruit in each bottle (and quite a bit of sediment, so shake them well before use). There’s no info on the base vodka, or the source of the fruit used, but let’s put all that aside and taste through the trio of flavored vodkas all the same.

Each is 60 proof.

Black Infusions Gold Apricot Vodka – Tart, clear apricot notes lead the way on this straightforward offering, with all the semi-sour immature fruit character that apricot tends to bring to the table. The overall impact is more dried apricot than fresh, slightly smoldering and pushy up front, then bracingly tart — and just a little bruising, from the alcohol hitting the back of the throat on the finish. I’m not 100% sure what someone would do with apricot vodka, but should the mood strike you… B+ [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Black Infusions Dark Cherry Vodka – Somewhere in color between red wine and coffee, this comes across as intensely sweet and much closer to a classic cherry liqueur than a vodka, for better or for worse. Intensely fruity, it takes a bright maraschino note and layers in notes of figs and dates, adding some complexity — and preventing the age-old “cough syrup” finish from developing. A- [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

Black Infusions Black Fig Vodka – I love figs, and this vodka-ized version of them really pulls it off, loading the spirit with fruity sweetness that comes across as part chocolate, part dried cherry, part cinnamon, part, well, all fig. As with the apricot, the impression is more of a dried black fig than a fresh one, which means more sweetness and more intensity of flavor. You could have told me this was fig juice and I probably would have believed you. The vodka’s completely invisible. A [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]

each $30 / blackinfusions.com

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