Updated May 2026.
Ketel One and Tito’s are both 40% ABV (80 proof) vodkas. A 1.5-ounce pour of either is one US standard drink. Ketel One is Dutch wheat vodka from the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, named for copper pot still Distilleerketel #1. Tito’s Handmade Vodka is Texas corn vodka from Fifth Generation in Austin. They are not two proofs. They are two grains and two countries.
TTB vodka is neutral spirits bottled at not less than 40% ABV. The argument is texture, price, and mixer preference. If someone is asking which gets you drunk faster, stop at 40%. See vodka shot math.
Updated May 2026. Flavored Ketel Botanicals and Tito’s infused recipes are different SKUs — read those labels.
Head to head (core 80-proof bottles)
| Ketel One | Tito’s Handmade Vodka | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal identity | Vodka, Netherlands | Vodka, United States (Texas) |
| Base | Winter wheat | Corn |
| Still story | Column + copper pot; named for Ketel #1 | Brand: pot-still, six times; “handmade” is a label fight, not a proof |
| Typical US ABV | 40% | 40% |
| Std drinks / 1.5 oz | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Std drinks / 750 mL | ~17 | ~17 |
| Gluten | Wheat mash; distillation removes protein — clinician question, not a medical claim | Corn; brand markets gluten-free |
| Owner / route | Nolet family; Diageo partnership for distribution | Fifth Generation, Inc. (Tito Beveridge) |
History without the brochure
Nolet Distillery dates itself to 1691 in Schiedam. Ketel One vodka as a US brand was launched in the 1980s (commonly dated 1983). “Ketel” is Dutch for the still. Tito Beveridge started bottling in Austin in 1997. A 2014 class action challenged “handmade” on Tito’s; it settled, and the word stayed on the label. That lawsuit is about advertising, not ABV. Neither bottle is small-batch in the farm-distillery sense at US volume. Both are industrial vodka that tastes clean in a soda. For soda builds, see what sodas mix with vodka.
The 2022 page declared a winner by flavor. That is a preference. Wheat vodkas often read peppery-clean. Corn vodkas often read slightly sweet. Blind you may not care. Price bands move; Tito’s is usually the cheaper well upgrade, Ketel the fancier well. Paying more does not add ethanol.
Mixers, martinis, and the 2-ounce pour
A vodka soda is one drink at 1.5 oz. A vodka martini that is 3 ounces of 40% is two drinks, vermouth or not. Sex on the Beach is vodka plus juice — pick either bottle: vodka for Sex on the Beach. Citroen and Oranje Ketel SKUs are flavored; Botanicals are lower-proof spirit drinks on some labels — read them. Tito’s does not need a flavor line to mix with grapefruit or ginger beer.
Calories: ~97 per 1.5 oz 80-proof, 0 g carb, USDA distilled-spirits line, either brand. See shot calories. Storage: cap on, room temp, or the freezer if you like mute vodka. 40% will not freeze solid in a home freezer. Same physics as Hennessy.
If you are choosing one
- Want corn, Texas, gluten-free marketing, mixer price: Tito’s.
- Want wheat, Dutch still story, martini: Ketel One.
- Want the drunk-math: 1.5 oz at 40% = 1 drink, either way.
- Four drinks in about two hours is the female binge pattern; five is the male pattern. The bottle’s origin does not change that.
A fifth is ~17 drinks. See shots in a 750ml. Counterfeit vodka is less famous than counterfeit cognac; a $8 “Ketel” with a crooked label is still a skip.
Botanicals, Citroen, and the 30-something percent trap
Ketel One Botanicals are flavored spirit drinks at a lower ABV than the 80-proof vodka (commonly 30% on US bottles — confirm). Citroen and Oranje sit closer to vodka strength. A 1.5-ounce Botanical is then 0.75 drinks, not 1.00. Tito’s does not have an official botanical line; home infusions are still 40% plus fruit sugar. Count the vodka you poured, not the cucumber. Four vodka sodas in two hours is still four drinks whether the wheat came from Schiedam or the corn from Texas. See how many shots.
Sources
- Brand: Ketel One / Nolet Distillery, Schiedam, wheat, 40% ABV, still #1. Tito’s / Fifth Generation, Austin, corn, 40% ABV.
- TTB vodka identity: neutral spirits, bottled ≥40% ABV. NIAAA: 1.5 oz of 40% = 1 standard drink.
- USDA: ~97 kcal / 1.5 oz 80-proof. 2014 Tito’s “handmade” litigation settled; word remains a marketing claim.