Lytos Premium Vodka Review

Travel Distilled reviews Lytos Vodka, a premium vodka made from American corn and infused with sodium, potassium, and phosphorus.

Something obviously happens when three guys get together. I’ve already told the story of the Desert Door Distillery in Texas, which began life at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business in Austin. Three students had to work together on a project and decided they would build a theoretical distillery to learn how to plan a business. A few years later, the distillery was a reality and the three guys, now friends and business partners, were making a spirit called sotol, more usually associated with Mexico.

It’s a story matched by Lytos Vodka, but this time at Towson University in Maryland. Here in 2013 three friends chatted about opening a business together, but nothing came of it at the time. Fast forward five years and the three friends met up again and, over a few drinks (as you do), were still keen to start a business together. The thought of it took them back to their college days, when anything seemed possible. This time they decided to go for it, and wanted to make the smoothest vodka that they could.

The result is Lytos Vodka, which hit the shelves in the fall of 2020… not the best time to be launching a business, though at least during the pandemic people continued to drink even if, depending on the time and place, they couldn’t always go into bars.

Making Lytos Premium Vodka

But who needs another vodka? What makes Lytos different, if anything? The three founders wanted to make the smoothest tasting vodka they could, and decided that to get the best results they would infuse their vodka with salt, potassium, and phosphorus. (Did any of the guys study chemistry, by chance?) The vodka is distilled from 100% American corn, and is then carbon-filtered, and it’s bottled at a standard 40% ABV.

Shaken not Stirred

This is the first vodka bottle I’ve seen which tells you to shake well before opening. I had to rely on Lytos to clarify that for me:

The bicarbonates present in our formula are soluble in water and slightly soluble in alcohol. To dissolve the bicarbonates, we would first add it to the water used to proof the vodka down to 80 proof. However, the TTB’s [Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau] method of manufacture regulations doesn’t allow us to add the bicarbonates to the proofing water. We have to add the bicarbonates directly to the distilled vodka. As a result, the bicarbonates don’t completely dissolve.

Lytos Premium Vodka Review

There’s nothing special about the bottle, which has a simple label and is clearly not aimed at people wanting stylish and artsy products. It immediately says that it’s a bottle for drinkers rather than sippers, that you’ll find it at the bar on the corner and the neighborhood liquor store. In other words, it’s not an intimidating vodka, and doesn’t make you feel you need to be an expert in order to enjoy it.

So, having shaken the vodka well, what’s it like? On the nose my wife said ‘medicinal’ but I didn’t get that at all. That’s usually a sign of a cheap mass-produced vodka, and that’s certainly not the case with the small-batch production of Lytos. I did detect a very slight saltiness in an otherwise neutral and pleasant aroma. I’ve no idea what potassium and phosphorus smell or taste like. Isn’t phosphorus the smell of a burnt match? Well, thankfully there’s no hint of that!

On the palate I found it pleasant but without being exceptional. It was a little different, though – that potassium and phosphorus maybe? Again, there was a slight saltiness. You know when you’re swimming in the ocean and you inadvertently get a mouthful of briny water? Well, not as strong as that but maybe diluted with 99 parts freshwater and 1 part seawater, as subtle as that and not unpleasant at all. It did make a good vodka tonic, with a slice of lime complimenting that slightly salty tang.

Pricing

For a vodka that sells for $23.99 Lytos isn’t bad, and is fairly priced, although at that price it will be competing with a big brand like Tito’s, for example, and I’m not sure it’s quite in the same quality league.