Expert Reveals The 10 Cheap Vodkas You Should Never Overlook

Vodka holds a unique place in our liquor cabinets and in your favorite bar's well. It can be an integral part of a perfect Cosmopolitan, a helping hand at brunch in your Bloody Mary, and even the star of the show as the base of a perfectly mixed martini. In many ways, it's a go-to base spirit just because of how easily it can mix with just about anything in a pinch, whether you're entertaining at home or indulging in a specialty cocktail out at the bar.

But unlike other liquors we seek out for their unique flavors, vodka is the one spirit that seems to get more popular the less it really tastes like anything (after all, it's neutral and flavorless by its very definition). For some drinkers, this can justify spending a little more to ensure they're getting a quality product. But as with any other spirit, there are still plenty of fantastic options to be had in the value category. 

As a bar owner and a professional tasting note writer, I've been able to sample plenty of the ubiquitous clear liquor from the lower end of the price spectrum, both getting to know them for myself and seeing how customers and other experts take to them. Based on pricing at purveyors around the New York City area, these are some of the cheap vodkas you shouldn't think twice about adding to your rotation.

Even in a fairly crowded field, New Amsterdam has managed to become something of an industry standard in its relatively short life. The spirit was launched in 2011 (just three years behind the line's inaugural gin) by wine behemoth E&J Gallo. It quickly took the market by storm, selling more than a million cases before it hit its first birthday and making it the first brand to ever do so. To this day, the 80 proof version is made with a grain blend (as opposed to the 100 proof version's corn base), five-times distilled, and thrice filtered.

There's a very pleasing full-bodied mouthfeel and oh-so-subtle sweetness that comes through when tasting this vodka neat, highlighted by bright citrus notes that settle down to a remarkably smooth finish. In my experience, this makes it an incredibly well-suited mixer for all classes of cocktails, bringing a little something extra to the table that can add heft to everything from vodka tonics to Cape Codders. That being said, the brighter flavor profile means martini purists might not love how it goes with their preferred preparation style if they favor more subtlety. But at just $12.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle, most can certainly afford to pick some up — especially if you're planning on batching out drinks or making a punch for a party.

For a starkly clear spirit, it's remarkable how many imported vodkas have such a cloudy misconception about their backgrounds. In fact, part of the problem experts have is having to reeducate on everything from incorrect countries of origin (a major problem in the vodka segment) to explaining base ingredients and processes. But while many of the recognizable non-U.S.-based brands find themselves outside of what many would consider a relatively affordable price range, LVOV serves as a bit of a dark horse with plenty to offer without blowing out your bottle budget.

While this Polish product is yet another in the segment made from a potato base, its low price of $12.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle belies its premium-tasting flavor profile. Like any good vodka, it features subtle complexities that combines soft nuttiness, earthiness, and grain notes to create a compelling spirit with a velvety, light-medium body. Thanks to a touch of fruity brightness in its flavor profile, it's a phenomenal component in lively drinks like Cosmopolitans, punches, and spiked lemonades. But it also stands up well in cases where vodka needs to shine, making for one impressive vodka martini. Ultimately, it's a great bar cart addition when you're hoping to change your guests' minds about what they're sipping or even turn them on to the idea of premium vodka if they normally avoid the spirit.

Even if it feels culturally tied to specific regions, vodka is not typically the type of spirit that can feel connected to a place due to its muted flavor profile. That is not the case with Reyka, an Icelandic-made spirit that evokes so much about its country of origin at its very core. After all, how many brands can claim to use water from a glacial stream that's filtered as it passes through a bed of lava rock besides one from the land of Fire and Ice? (Insert your own jokes about "vodka on the rocks" here.) Add to that the fact that the distilling process uses fully sustainable geothermal energy generated by underground volcanoes, and you essentially have Iceland in a bottle.

What I best about this vodka is that each sip is as refreshing as a dip in the Blue Lagoon. There's a soft minerality that forms a bedrock for surprising yet subtle, citrusy flavors that come together over a silky texture. But just like an unpredictable geyser, the small-batch nature of this product makes each bottle a little bit of a discovery — which again falls right in line with Iceland's adventurous spirit. Despite the high-quality flavor profile, this is yet another import that is able to surprisingly land itself in the affordable category, running about $22.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Not all cheaper vodkas are necessarily hidden in the bar well. If anything, Skyy vodka — packaged in its trademark and eye-catching cobalt blue bottle — is a recognizable mainstay on the back bar of many establishments and home liquor cabinets. This ubiquity is likely thanks to its status as a member of the formidable Campari family of spirits after it was purchased in 1996, where it resides alongside other house brands like Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier (in addition to its namesake stark red bitter aperitif, of course). As of 2024, it was still holding onto its title as the company's top-selling brand in the U.S.

Even though the brand now exists in a much more crowded category than it was when it launched in 1992, it still maintains a fair bit of street cred with professionals behind the bar. And it's not just rooted in nostalgia: The thoroughly American product is made entirely with domestic grains and water, which helps create a strikingly clean and refreshing flavor profile of rounded citrus and a subtle salinity that comes through on the finish. 

In this bar owner and spirit expert's humble opinion, this is the brand that manages to be the most polished when it comes to distinct flavors for a widely available product, making it an ideal choice for anyone who might want to forget they're drinking vodka or go for a starkly clean, crisp martini. Fortunately, it will still only set you back $14.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

When you hear about a breakaway success vodka from Austin, most consumers probably think of Tito's off the bat. But it's not the only clear spirit to claim the Texas capital as its hometown. Launched in 2010, Deep Eddy is another Lone Star State corn-based vodka that has managed to pick up plenty of its own awards and build a solid reputation for itself in its decade and a half of existence. Part of this came from when the brand was acquired by heavy-hitting distiller Heaven Hill in 2016, bringing it alongside lauded American brands like Evan Williams whiskey and Admiral Nelson's rum.

Firmly angling itself as a premium product, this vodka boasts an eight-times water filtration process through charcoal before it's distilled a whopping 10 times, always made in small batches. This produces a charmingly crisp, clean vodka that's rounded both at the beginning and end of the palate. During my last tasting, I was blown away by how well integrated subtle orchard fruit and floral notes were over its velvety medium body. The best part? For around $14.99, you can pick up a 750-milliliter bottle of this other Austin corn-based vodka, which I think makes a fantastic base for a Bloody, Moscow Mule, or wet martini with plenty of olives.

You don't have to be a regular Costco shopper to know that Kirkland products can be some of the best deals on the warehouse retailer's shelves. In many cases, this same principle applies to the liquor section, where this house brand vodka has developed quite a bit of lore for itself among customers. Is it really just Grey Goose packaged in a generic bottle? Unfortunately for the deal hunters, it is almost certainly not. But that hasn't stopped the adoring masses from continuing to compare the bargain-priced generic spirit to the popular luxury brand — especially when an entire liter bottle only goes for around $15.

In a recent blind vodka tasting set up for fun by some industry friends, I was surprised when the breakout hit of the group we sampled ended up being this demurely packaged spirit. It had remarkable complexity on the palate with hints of black pepper, subtle earthiness, and a hint of velvety sweetness that rolled across the tongue. It's still unclear what ingredients are used to form the distillate here (although the bottle does reveal it's six-times distilled). But if we're being honest, the mystery — along with the graciously low price point — is at least part of the allure here.

There are plenty of brands that have become a "bartender handshake" thanks to their devotion to the industry, but few are as intrinsically linked to hospitality workers as Misguided Spirits. The New York-based employee-owned company came into being in 2022 with a focus on well spirits that would not only not break the bank, but also ensure that the hard-working people peddling the product to bars and retailers in their own communities would be fairly compensated for their efforts.

But as you might expect from a company that was founded by cocktail professionals, there's as much to get excited about in the bottles themselves. Howe's and Hummel's Crooked Vodka — named after a famed NYC firm that took aim at wealthy robber barons — especially stands out, made from a grain base and distilled six times. Tasters might have a hard time believing this was designed to be a well vodka thanks to its smooth medium body with hints of smashed black peppercorns that are rounded out with a hint of citrus pith on the palate. However, looking at the $20 price tag for a 750-milliliter bottle should more than remind you that this versatile vodka is a bona fide bargain.

As anyone who has stuck to the lower end of the vodka price spectrum knows, it's pretty rare to find an import that punches above its weight without becoming too pricey. Luksusowa (which means "luxurious" in its native Poland) manages to live up to its name and then some, all while claiming a bit of legacy status as a product that's been around since 1928. Most likely, the combination of its unassuming bottle and price point has helped this spirit maintain something of a "best-kept secret" status among bartenders, beverage managers, and home mixologists in the know.

While you might not think twice about picking up a bottle for $14.99, its flavor profile might actually make a decent impression on you. This potato-based vodka has an elegantly smooth medium body that lives up to its name, bolstered by subtle sweetness and a hint of fresh baked goods. I've found this is one of the best options on the market for anyone looking to do home infusions with fruits, spices, and other flavors, thanks to moderate heft and relatively neutral base flavor profile. At the very least, it's a well-priced go-to that more than gets the job done for mixed drinks at a party — especially if you're storing it on ice or in your freezer.

All of us in the industry have those moments of beverage discovery that stick out in our memories. For me, one of the more remarkable was coming across this Austrian brand, which a colleague perfectly referred to as "a Saturday night set of flavors and quality that's available on a Tuesday night budget." What they mean by that is for just $15.49, you can get yourself a 750-milliliter bottle of this spirit that I was convinced retailed for triple that price the first time I tried it.

While this brand was launched in Poland in the 18th century, production there was stopped at the outset of WWII and its facilities were destroyed. The same family was able to reestablish themselves in Austria about a decade after the war ended and relaunched production using the same recipe, which is entirely based on a smaller type of potato that helps form its unique flavor (as the current operator of the U.S. wing of the business recently told me). What strikes me most about it is how smooth it is, with an almost creamy texture that contains precisely zero harsh alcohol burn or astringency and just a hint of earthiness. 

While some would never dream of making a martini with a vodka at this price point, it's become my go-to when I'm opting for vodka instead of gin. But with its supple texture and silky mouthfeel, it's also a fantastic pick for more refreshing cocktails, like an orange crush, where you're aiming for something as easy-drinking as possible.

Some people go to great lengths to ensure the food they bring home from the store is organic. Fortunately, you can do the same thing with your liquor cabinet with this brand. Prairie is made from 100% USDA-certified organic yellow corn from the same vintage grown entirely in the Midwestern U.S. The company also says it re-tastes the spirit after every batch is finished to ensure it's up to snuff. Clearly, something is working because the brand has managed to pick up some impressive medals on the competition circuit, including gold at the esteemed San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Besides its special certification, there's a unique brightness to this spirit that truly helps it stand out in the vodka category. A nose of freshly sliced orchard fruit and melon gives way to a clean, citrusy palate with a silky mouthfeel and long, sophisticated finish. This makes it an excellent choice for mixing it up with fruity ingredients, but it's also a decent option in a vodka soda, where it brings a lot more life to the typically boring bar order. And while we all know opting for organic can often put products out of the affordable range, Prairie manages to stay at just $23.99 per bottle.