Skip to main content

Wild Roots Marionberry Vodka Review: Flavored to Perfection

Some of you may balk at the very words “Infused Vodka,” but I ask you, gents, to keep on reading. As I was, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn about a product that will help round out your summer cocktail shelves.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Wild Roots’ goal is to create flavored vodkas that go against the typical flavored vodka. That is, they use natural ingredients to make their spirits (over a pound of real fruit per batch). They start with a corn base that they, according to their website, distill five times before infusing the fruit into their spirit.

Related Videos

Related guides

The fruit in question here, the marionberry, is a type of blackberry (and currently the most popular kind) that was developed by a team of students at Oregon State University. (For the horticulture nerds out there, the marionberry is a mix of the “Chehalem” and “Olallie” cultivars of blackberry.)

Tasting Notes

Appearance: A deep royal purple that could be easily confused for a Pinot Noir or another similar red wine if judging on appearance alone.

WildRoots_Vodka_Marionberry_1900x1900_(1)

Nose: Seeing as we judge with our eyes before anything, and knowing this is a flavored vodka, you might be expecting the worst—a saccharine trip that’ll make you never want sugar again, but the nose on this vodka alerts you to something else. There is sweetness on the nose, but in the form of a blackberry jam that sits on top of slight hints of neutral grain spirit, which remind you that you are indeed about to drink a vodka.

Palate: A bit of a surprise, considering the nose. While the natural sweetness from the marionberries is there, this is not liqueur-sweet (despite, again, visual bias). This fact in and of itself is a great surprise. The flavor is rich, with earthy blackberry notes coming through strong. Sweetness cedes way to tartness, as if tasting fresh berries picked off the bush.

Finish: A relatively short, tart finish with just the tiniest hint of a burn, sort of like the last bite of a warm blackberry pie.

Final Thoughts: The first sip of this had me convinced that this would be my favorite summer addition to sparkling wine for spritzes. There is enough fruity flavor present that it will come through the ice-cold bubbly well. I wouldn’t drink this straight, but it makes a delightful ingredient for summer cocktails (or for kicking your pancake syrup up a notch or three—take that IHOP).

Wild Roots Marionberry Infused Vodka is 35% ABV and be purchased for $42.45 here.

Editors' Recommendations

This fish cooking trick gives you perfect crispy skin without messing up the pan
How to cook fish: The secret is something you probably already have in your pantry
parchment paper tip for cooking fish salmon

Fish is one of those foods that a lot of us don't often cook at home. It's finicky, sometimes tricky to get just right, and often sticks in a way that makes you want to just throw the damned pan in the garbage can instead of the sink for two days of soaking. If these frustrations are familiar to you, take a deep breath. We're here with a solution.

This clever little hack from ChefSteps is here to save your cookware and your sanity with just one quick and easy addition to your fish cooking process — parchment paper. Parchment paper, that humble little sheet that helps your cookies bake perfectly, can also save your pans from a sticky fish fiasco.
How to cook fish with perfectly crispy skin and zero frustrating clean-up

Read more
The best Irish whiskeys come in these 12 bottles
Looking for a great Irish whiskey to try? Start with this proper list of a dozen best bets.
whiskey bar

Ireland knows a thing or two about whiskey. After all, it's home to the oldest commercial whiskey distillery in the world, dating back to 1608. But with such a rich heritage and plethora of options, where should you direct your glass?

Well, Irish whiskey is actually a pretty manageable category, unlike the endless seas of, say, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon or Scotch. Despite its massive popularity, Ireland hosts a relatively small amount of distilleries. But there's plenty of variation and quality within that span and we have our favorites.

Read more
How to make a caipirinha, a perfect day drink
Caipirinha: This refreshing and sweet Brazilian cocktail is amazing and a surefire hit
Cascadian-Caipbeerinha

 

Novo Fogo Cascadian-Caipbeerinha.

Read more