Vanilla vodka recommendations

[suburban_mom]

I like vanilla vodka and have bought a couple of bottles of Stoli. It seems a little "artificial" to me. Are there any other brands that are better?

[jamieeats]

while stoli is my favorite go-to choice for the fruit flavored vodkas, i actually like the absolut vanilla. i don't like the other flavors, but the vanilla is good and mixes really well too.

[ChristinaMason]

I have to disagree with you here. I find the Absolut vanilla to be rather cloying. Stoli is my go-to, but I'll have to seek out the Grey Goose for comparison.

[cocktailian_wannabe]

Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka is exotically flavored with the finest vanilla beans providing a rich and luxurious taste, or so they say

[invinotheresverde]

Make your own! It's so easy. I've found half of a vanilla bean infuses a handle of Smirnoff in a couple weeks. If it's not strong enough for your liking, add the other half. It tastes so much better than any of the premade vodkas.
I'm not a huge vodka drinker, but I love White Russians (guilty pleasure). The infused, homemade vodka tastes so much better in them.

[ROCKLES]

Looks like Grey Goose is the only one that uses real vanilla, according to this thread

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/305795

[suburban_mom]

Thanks for the info. I think the fake vanilla taste is what was bugging me about the Stoli. Now I just need to find a place that sells the Grey Goose.

[jon44]

Not sure--triple 8 vodka from Nantucket has 2 vanilla beans in the vodka.

[jon44]

I'd like to try making my own by sticking 2 vanilla beans into plain Vodka (which is what Triple 8 does, and it tastes great). Can anyone recommend a reasonably price vodka that would serve the purpose (i.e., are there any special qualities in a vodka you look for when flavoring it?)