Looking for recommendations for what to taste to get a good cross-section of the vodka category.

I’m a bartender and long-time spirits enthusiast, but I’m almost embarrassed to say I’ve fallen for the myth of “all vodka is basically the same” for most of my life. I’ve only recently learned otherwise, and I would really like to begin exploring that world more in depth.

I always used to keep a bottle of Sobieski in the freezer when I was a bachelor - not because I had a real appreciation for it, but because it was one I had tried with the most flavor, which appealed to me as a whiskey, rum, and gin drinker. It never occurred to me that this could mean there were other vodkas with just as much flavor, or more. I only ever took shots from that bottle, though.

I once tried sipping Crystal Head neat, and then with a slice of lemon on the rocks, but neither appealed to me at the time.

Other than that, I’ve really only enjoyed vodka in Moscow Mules and other cocktails.

I’m pretty well-versed with whisk(e)y, so sipping a spirit neat is no stranger to me. I had a pour of Belvedere not too long ago that I enjoyed, but it wasn’t as bold as I had hoped for in a rye.

I just bought a bottle of Reyka, and plan to do a side-by-side of that compared to Goose, Absolut, and Tito’s, all of which I have sitting on my shelf already as they’ve been collected over the years.

What are your go-to recommendations? I tend to like bigger, bolder character in my spirits, but I do appreciate things that are lighter and more nuanced, too.