Review: Seagrams Hard Seltzer
Seagram Beverage Company just released Seagrams Hard Seltzer. This should not be confused with Seagrams Escapes, a line of malt beverages they launched in 1985. Both brands are currently part of FIFCO USA. The FIFCO Brand portfolio currently consist of Labatts USA, Genesee Brewing, Magic Hat Brewing, Pyramid Brewing, Portland Brewing, Imperial, and Hemptails. At one time Seagram was a titan in the spirit world. After founding the Waterloo Distillery in Waterloo Canada in 1857 Seagrams became the worlds largest spirit company by 1988. Cash rich they even ended up owning about 25% of DuPont Chemical. Everything was looking great for Seagrams until Chairman and CEO Edgar Bonfman died in 1994 leaving his son Edgar Bronfman Jr to run the company. Within one year Edgar son their share of DuPont for $9 billion and invested in MCA and Universal Pictures. Five years later their entire empire crumbled under debt and mismanagement. They sold their entertainment division to Vivendi and their spirits divisions was split up and pieces were sold to Pernod Richard and Diageo. Seagrams Hard Seltzer is available in a 12 can 4 flavor variety pack. Those flavors are Mango Peach, Tropical Pineapple, Mixed Berry, and Watermelon Lime. Each 12 oz. can weighs in with 5% alcohol, 100 calories, 2 carbs, and 1 cane sugar gram. While most hard seltzers are made from a cane sugar or dextrose alcohol base, Seagrams describes their hard seltzer as a malt beverage with natural flavors. Read more 
Review: Kona Spiked Island Seltzer
Kona Spiked Island Seltzer was released March 28, 2020 and is available in a four flavor 12 can variety pack. Those flavors include Tropical Punch, Starfruit Lime, Strawberry Guava, and “POG”, Passionfruit Orange Guava. After shoveling the 11 inches of snow that fell yesterday on my homes driveway, I only wish I was sampling this at their brewpub in Kailua-Kona or Hawaii Kai. Kona Spiked Island Seltzer is made by Kona Brewing Company, one of eight breweries that make up Craft Brew Alliance. The others include Redhook, Widmer, Omission, Wynwood Brewing Company, Cisco Brewers, Appalachian Mountain Brewery, and Square Mile Cider Co. Kona Brewing Company was originally founded by Cameron Healy and his son Spoon Khalsa in 1994. Craft Beer Alliance acquired Kona Brewing Company October 2010, and Anheuser Busch acquired CBA in 2019. Because of this relationship Kona brews their beer and Spiked Island Seltzer at their flagship brewery in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii’s Big Island and at Widmer Brothers Brewery in Portland Oregon, and Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth New Hampshire. The ingredients are identical at each location and minerals are added to mimic the fresh water available in Hawaii. Each can of Kona Spiked Island Seltzer is made with carbonated filtered water, alcohol from organic cane sugar, and natural flavors, and each 12 oz. can weighs in with 5% alcohol, 100 calories, 0 Sugar, and 2 Carbs. Read more
Review: Ryze Vodka
Ryze Vodka is crafted in Phoenix New York at Locke 1 Distilling Company. The distillery sits across the street from Lock 1 of the Oswego Barge Canal. The same canal preferred by bootleggers as the main artery from Canada to NYC during Prohibition. The bottles graphic image of a Phoenix raising from the ashes pays tribute to the vodka’s name and hometown. The distillery was founded by brothers Stephen and Kevin Dates and their cousin Brenden Backus in 2015. The family also owns Phoenix Welding and Fabricating. They brought their skills, craftmanship, ability, time and finances together to build a farm distillery in a century old building that opened in 2017. The family also owns Phoenix Welding and Fabricating. This background gave them the skill to renovate the century old building into their distillery, and to design and hand build their distilling equipment including a 17 foot high column still. The distillery also crafts Drawbridge Gin, Locktenders Gin, Inferno Cinnamon Whiskey, FA Waldron Bourbon, and their Excuse line of liqueurs. Master Distiller Brenden made 11 different vodkas before selecting the best tasting one. Ryze Vodka is made from locally grown New York winter wheat, and rye. It is small batch distilled 3 times and triple filtered through volcanic rock and active carbon. Read more
Review: Mikes Hard Lemonade Seltzer
Mikes Hard Lemonade Seltzer was just released. This should not be confused with Mikes Hard Lemonade. Mikes Hard Lemonade was originally introduced in Canada in 1997. At that time it was spiked with vodka. When it was released in the US in 1999 the vodka was replaced with malt liquor. Mark Anthony Brands is not only the parent company of Mikes Hard, but also White Claw. Mikes Hard Lemonade Seltzer is made with purified water, natural flavors, cane sugar, concentrated lemon juice, sodium citrate, and stevia leaf extract. Each 12 oz. can weighs in with 100 calories, 1 carb and 1 sugar gram. By comparison an 11.2 oz. can of Mikes Hard Lemonade has 220 calories, 33 carbs and 32 sugar grams. Read more
Review: Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer
Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer was released October 2019 and is crafted by Deep Ellum Brewing Company. They have since released Blind Lime, Blind Berry, and Blind Peach Hard Seltzer but they have yet to reach our market. Each of these flavors start with the same alcohol base as the Original Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer. Blind Lemon is named for Blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson who began his career in the 1920’s playing guitar and singing on the streets of the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas. He went on to become one of the best selling Blues artists in American history. Deep Ellum was the first craft brewery in Dallas when it opened it’s doors in 2011. They currently brew 8 year round and several seasonal beers. Blind Lemon is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, cane sugar, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. While no exact totals are giving Deep Ellum does claim “A sh#% ton of lemons were harmed in the making” of Blind Lemon. Read more
Review: Vly Creek Vodka
Vly Creek Vodka was named for one of the many mountain creeks in Arkville New York. Friends and construction workers Brian Mulder and Todd Pascarella built Union Grove Distillery in a former roller rink that was constructed in 1920. Union Grove also crafts FirGin, Catskill Mountain Maple Spirit, and Drie Brook Rye Whiskey. Vly Creek Vodka was the first spirit they produced when they opened the distillery February 2016. They started with apples sourced from Hubbell Family Farms, only 6 miles away from the distillery. The apples were pressed on an antique apple press that has been in service since the 1880’s. The cider ferments over several weeks and is then distilled with a wheat GNS spirit the equivalent of 30 times in a high tech Genio still, custom made in Poland. The spirit is charcoal filtered and proofed with pure Catskill Mountain Water before hand bottling onsite. Read more
Review: H2Roads Hard Seltzer
H2Roads Hard Seltzer is crafted at Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford Connecticut. Two Roads was founded in 2012 by four friends who dreamed for years of starting a craft brewery. Two Roads currently produces 11 year-round beers along with dozens of Seasonal, Limited Release, Sour, and Lambic Style beers. They were named one of the Ten Best Breweries in America by Paste Magazine. H2Roads was launched September 2019 with three flavor varieties. They have since added a fourth, with three cans of each flavor found in their 12 can variety pack. Those flavors include Raspberry, Black Cherry, Cranberry Lime, and Grapefruit. H2Roads is made from only three ingredients, water, 100% fermented cane sugar, and real fruit juices. Read more
Review: PB Chocolati
PB Chocolati is a chocolate and peanut butter flavored whiskey that was released November 2020. It is produced and bottled in Spring Valley California by SARP LLC. It is made with American Whiskey, dark chocolate, allergen free peanuts, and pure cane sugar. It is currently available in the San Diego area or through several online retailers. This is the only spirit they currently produce. The success of another California flavored whiskey, Skrewball, has led dozens of others to produce their own peanut butter whiskey. A handful of these companies have also added chocolate to their peanut butter flavored whiskey. Read more
Review: Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass
Grey Goose has just released Grey Goose Essences a new vodka infused with real fruit and botanical essences. They join a growing list of 0 sugar 0 carb botanical infused vodkas that include the Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions, Ketel One Botanical, Svedka Pure Infusions, and Prairie Organic Sustainable Season brands. Grey Goose Essences come in three varieties, Strawberry & Lemongrass, Watermelon & Basil, and White Peach & Rosemary. Grey Goose Strawberry & Lemongrass starts with a vodka made from soft winter wheat grown on farms in Picardy, Northern France. Little production information is available except that cold distilled lemongrass is noted on the bottle. Cold Distillation is a process used by some in crafting gin. Original Grey Goose Vodka is distilled once using a five column distillation process. Pristine Gensac La Pallue Spring water naturally filtered through Champaign limestone in the Cognac Region of France is blended to reduce to proof. The vodka is filtered through cellulose and carbon. It would appear a similar process is used to craft their Essences line with the addition of cold distilled lemongrass, and a real fruit essence infusion. Read more
Review: Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade was released today. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of their 12 can variety packs. Each 12 pack includes three slim cans each of Original Lemonade, Black Cherry Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, and Peach Lemonade. This follows last years successful release of Truly Lemonade. The Truly Lemonade 12 can variety pack is now the third best selling Hard Seltzer SKU, holding a 10% market share. Market Leader, Mark Anthony Brands will soon join the mix but not with White Claw Lemonade Seltzer. Instead they will names theirs Mikes Hard Lemonade Seltzer. A tip of the cap to the brand that put them on the map when they launched Mikes Hard Lemonade, April 1999. Mark Anthony currently sells Mikes Hard Seltzer in the UK. Molson-Coors also promises an April release of Vizzy Lemonade Hard Seltzer. Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade is made with water, cold fermented cane sugar, natural flavors, cane sugar, Stevia leaf extract, and malted rice. Each flavor weighs in with 100 calories 5% alcohol, 3 carbs, less than 1 G of sugar. They and are colored with fruit and vegetable juice.
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