Spiked seltzer’s have truly taken the world by storm. Every single brand has come out with their own version and their own flavors. So I decided what better way to decide which is the best brand and flavor than to try them all!?! That’s right!! We spent this past Sunday searching all the stores and gas stations for every single spiked seltzer on the market! Everyone thought I was crazy until I brought back all the seltzer’s and started the taste test.
We started off by jotting down a few notes about each one. The packaging, how easy/hard it was to open the can (serious business when you’ve got long nails like me) calories, alcohol percentage etc. We then cracked open the can, took a sip, gave our first thoughts on that brand and flavor then passed it around.
We had people of all ages participating in the taste test. We had male, female, low 20’s, high 20’s, and even my dad!!
I split each brand up into their own category and then the flavor to follow! Hope you enjoy, and can find your new favorite drink 😉
Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water
88 calories
4.2%
Easy to open
Passion Fruit
A- “Didn’t like it, it tasted watered down and has a bad after taste”
S- “Not a fan didn’t like the taste”
L- “Weird after taste”
J- “Thought it was okay- average- nothing great”
Peach Mango
A- “OMG that was horrible- too peachy not enough mango”
L- “Yeah not good too much peach”
S- “I like it, definitely artificial but a fake peach”
J- “Has a weird after taste, it was good though”
Pineapple
A- “Not even worth swallowing, tasted so watered down”
L- “I don’t like it. That’s it. Wish it had more pineapple”
S- “I like it but I also like pineapple so maybe that has to do with it. Very artificial tasting”
J- “It’s actually not too bad, but then again still a weird after taste”
All in all Henry’s wasn’t terrible! Most of the flavors had a weird after taste, and kind of tasted watered down. But the more you drink them, the more the flavor just goes away. Which is kinda nice but also not if you genuinely enjoyed the flavor. We decided Henry’s wasn’t our first pick, but if we were at a party that supplied this we would definitely drink it.
Cape Line Sparkling Cocktails
120 calories
4.5%
Really hard to open
Strawberry Lemonade
A- “Tasted fake and too sugary”
L- “I don’t mind it, but it has a lot of flavor”
S- “Very sweet. Don’t understand how it’s sparkling. I could have like two then would be sick of it”
J- “Has good taste it’s sugary, and would be good on the rocks but I couldn’t have a lot”
BlackBerry Mojito
A- “Flavor isn’t too bad, and I like the minty fresh taste”
L- “I like that one. Nothing else to say. Would drink it on the daily. Nice summer drink”
S-”WEIRD after taste. Did not like it and not bubbly”
J- “Weird taste, but it’s not bad”
Margarita
A- “Gross, tastes just like a limerita and had a hint of beer taste to it”
L- “I didn’t mind it, but wouldn’t drink it again”
S- “OH NO OH NO. That’s a hell no from me”
J- “Not too bad”
Capeline had good flavors but were EXTREMELY SUGARY! You could get away with drinking one or two of these but would get sick of them very quick. They weren’t very carbonated which also made them hard to drink.
Bon&Viv
90 calories
4.5%
Grapefruit
A- “Fizzy, good, doesn’t really taste like grapefruit though. Not sugary which is nice and it’s very refreshing”
L- “I like it, doesn’t really taste like grapefruit”
S- “Smells like grapefruit, you can taste citrus but not the grapefruit til after”
J- “Doesn’t taste like grapefruit”
Clementine Hibiscus
A- “Not huge fan of the orange flavor, but it’s good and refreshing and would drink if there were only berry flavored left”
L- “I liked it but all you could taste is clementine”
S- “I liked it and I think it tastes exactly like cuties. Literally could not taste hibiscus”
J- “It’s good I liked it but couldn’t taste hibiscus”
B- “Much better than the grapefruit”
Cranberry
A- “Literally hate berry flavored anything, I like how it’s not extremely berry tasting but it still wasn’t good”
L- *Shakes head* “Doesn’t taste like cranberry, it has a rough taste that I can’t explain”
S- *Makes a disgusted face* “I don’t even know what to say besides not a fan”
J- “Nope I don’t like it at all, orange was the best”
Pear and elderflower
A- “Tasty and refreshing but couldn’t drink this continuously all day”
L- “See I like this one a lot, it’s not even a pear taste it’s a good taste”
S- “It smells artificial, it’s good, it’s sweet, I taste the pear but don’t taste whatever the flower is” <- lol
J- “That’s different! I kinda like it!! Pear? Yeah so refreshing!!”
Bon & Viv were much better than the first two! Very very refreshing, but couldn’t drink it all day. Except they aren’t super light like your typical seltzer.
Smirnoff Seltzer
90 calories
4.5%
Raspberry Rose
A- “Oh my god this is disgusting it taste like Chinese food, but with a berry taste and it even tastes like metal”
L- “I like how you can’t taste the raspberry, and I would drink it religiously”
S- “Uhm it’s okay, I’d be able to drink them but not my fav. Has a weird aftertaste! *Laughs* like a really weird after taste”
J- “It really doesn’t have a taste to it at all”
Cranberry Lime
A- “Okay not too bad, but I don’t have the pallet for berry but the lime is pretty tasty”
L- “I can taste the lime, weird after taste”
S- “I like it, I think it would be better over ice! I think it’s a nice balance of both flavors”
J- “Something different, something different for sure!”
Berry Lemonade
A- “The berry is overpowering, and you can’t really taste the lemonade which is a shame”
L- “I don’t like it, it doesn’t taste like lemonade”
S- “I like it I don’t think it’s one I could drink a lot a lot, but I definitely like this!”
J- “This ones the best one yet!!!”
Pina Colada
A- “Omg do not put the lime in the coconut, and don’t shake it all up bc this is narsty!!!!”
L- “Yeah nope that’s disgusting, ughhh yeah that’s nasty I’m never drinking that again!”
S- “Woah smells like sunscreen, nope straight up it smells like when I used to overbake myself! Also tastes like underage decisions!! *takes a sip* Ughhh it’s definitely less gross than expected. I’d be able to drink one over ice.”
J- “Pina colada is just one flavor you can’t duplicate, actually it’s not bad! Better than the other ones”
B- “Not bad I would finish a can”
Smirnoff Seltzer tasted like a mix between Mikes Hard and a seltzer. Some of the flavors were oookay but none of us could drink these all day long. Its just not possible. There’s better seltzer’s out there don’t even waste your time.
Whiteclaw
100 calories
5%
Raspberry
A- “Raspberry anything is disgusting but after tasting all the other stuff this isn’t actually THAAAT bad. Would drink this before any of that other stuff!”
L- “I like it. The flavor is good! Nice and carbonated.”
S- “Yeah I like it. Nothing else to say. It speaks for itself. Ain’t no liar!!”
J- “So now they are all starting to intertwine. There’s other ones that tasted better than this. I hate to say it!!”
Black Cherry
A- “Okay this is usually one of the flavors I avoid but daaaamn it tastes like heaven after that Smirnoff nonsense!!”
L- “I like, but it doesn’t really taste like cherry. I guess it kinda tastes like mikes hard black cherry!”
S- “It’s good, it seems a little sweeter. Definitely tastes like cherry though!!”
J- “Very very good! Probably my favorite so far, and it doesn’t have that weird after taste like all the other ones!”
Grapefruit
A- “Heaven is a place on earth with youuu!! It’s refreshing and seltzery it is everything I could ask for in a seltzer! #BLESSED”
L- “It tastes a lot like grapefruit it’s smooth and that’s about it!”
S- “It’d be really good and really refreshing for someone that liked grapefruit”
J- “It was good, it was very good!”
Lime
A- “Sooo refreshing and could literally drink all day without getting a headache, it’s sooo good I love lime anything!!”
L- “I liked it, you can definitely taste the lime! It’s smooth. And would seriously drink it on the daily!”
S- “Nope, No” *disgusted face*
J- “It’s actually an extremely refreshing taste and it doesn’t even have that terrible after taste!”
There are truly no LAWS WHEN YOUR DRINKING CLAWS! No matter what brand comes out with what, they could come out with magical fairy dust for all I care but they could never surpass WHITECLAW! They are truly the spiked seltzer of your dreams. They have great flavor BUT they also don’t overpower. They are smooth, not sugary and you could drink these ALL.DAY.LONG!
Crook
80 Calories
4%
Coconut Pineapple
A- “Omg that was so gross! I felt like I was drinking straight syrup! OMG no”
L- “What was that after taste? Omg. Tastes like Malibu with carbonation!”
S- “This smells like tanning oil! VERY VERY SWEET LIKE REALLY SWEET IDK HOW THIS IS A SELTZER. I mean it’s okay, something yah gotta sip on or else you’ll feel like shit!!”
J- “Very sweet, very very sweet! I can taste all the artificial chemical in there, but it’s not that bad. Best pina colada so far!”
H- “I like this!”
Mango
A- “You can taste the artificialness and it so sweet I can not drink any of it!”
L- “I like that one a lot!”
S- “Woah. I mean it’s good, but idk what it even tastes like because that’s not mango! If u like sweet you will like it. Idk how it’s 80 cals bc I feel like we’re drinking straight sugar!”
J- “Mangos good, I like the mango! It actually would be really good cold and over ice!”
Peach
A- “Omg it’s so sweet I just can’t drink these! After taste is terrible!”
L- “Tastes similar to mango”
S- “Doesn’t taste like peach! It’s sweet, It’s okay.”
J- “Tastes just like imitation sugar. Too sugary!”
Strawberry Lemon
A- “Not too bad, but too sweet for me! I can taste the sugar even with the after taste!”
L- “I like that u can taste the lemon! Lots of flavor!”
S- “That’s good. It has a very uhm.. interesting taste!”
This was all of our first time trying Crook. Right off the bat.. HOLY COW, such nice packaging! It opens right up no need to rip open the side or anything. It’s awesome! The cans were gold and heavy, sturdy packaging! definitely 10/10 on packaging and appearance. The drink itself is colored which is unlike any other seltzer. Crook had LOTS of flavor which tasted really good, but not necessarily like the flavor it said it was. It was a leeeetle too sugary for my liking but alot of the testers said this could possibly be their new fav! Just sayin.. 😉
Truly
100 calories
5%
Raspberry Lime
A- “Okay so again, I HATE berry and the raspberry is so overpowering! You can’t even taste the lime and I wanna die!”
L- “Not too shabby! Not a whiteclaw, so not much taste!”
S- “Not the best, but not the worst! It’s definitely tolerable!”
Blueberry & Açaí
A- “I loooove açaí and this does not do it for me!! Thank you, next!!”
L- “Better than the first flavor because it has waaay more flavor, but it is not my favorite!”
S- “I like this one! I think it has a true flavor of blueberry!”
B- “Wow that sucks!”
Ja- “Blueberry was great!! Compared to all the others definitely one of the better ones!”
Black Cherry
A- “God awful, I never want to taste something like this ever again!”
L- “I like that one a lot! Tastes just like cherry!”
S- “It’s good! Got the flavor but it’s not over powering!”
Ja- “If you like black cherry, you will like it! But personally I hate it!”
Wild Berry
A- “Nooooo thank you! Back to whiteclaws I go!!!”
L- “Tastes just like strawberries!”
S- *Disgusted face* “I’d drink it if I had to! But wouldn’t drink it out of taste!:
B- “Feel the exact same way!”
I’m sorry but these are TRULY terrible. I just can not stand by this brand. The flavors are awful and taste nothing like they say. They give me an instant headache. I hope their mixologist could come up with some better flavors!
In conclusion I would have to say there are some really good spiked seltzer’s on the market! Are they all worthy of an entire day of drinking? Absolutely not! But some are worth a sip or two!! The ones that I will have no shame of repurchasing are definitely:
- Whiteclaw
- Bon & Viv
- Crook
- Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water
NOPE:
- Smirnoff Seltzer
- Capeline
- Truly
This was definitely a very fun change of pace and if you enjoyed this post and want more like this then let me know!! I hope that you can find your new go-to favorite drink! && don’t forget to tag me in all your pics/posts with YOUR favorite Spike Seltzer 🙂
Leave a Reply