Vodka is often described as the world's most versatile spirit, which is a nice way of saying that it doesn't taste of much. Globally, it outsells every other spirit, but outside of Eastern Europe, nobody drinks it for its flavor.
That's the argument I put to Ginza-based vodkaphile Hiroshi Tsuchiya earlier this month. Though his Bloody Doll bar stocks around 400 brands of the spirit, he almost agreed with me.
"Basically, vodka doesn't have flavor," he began, before introducing me to a range of vodkas that disproved the point.