Review: Sparkling Ice Spiked Hard Seltzer
Sparkling Ice Spiked Hard Seltzer was released August 2020 in select markets including Tampa, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Seattle, Portland Oregon, and Southern California. It is now starting to rollout Nationwide. It is available in four flavors, Lemonade Refresher, Ruby Fizz, Strawberry Citrus Smash, and Cherry Lime Chiller. Sparkling Ice Spiked is part of the Talking Rain Company. Founded in 1987 by Pete Hiskin and John Stevens. The two found a group of investors and soon sold the brand to them. Success did not happen overnight but their Sparkling Ice brand is now the best selling sparkling water brand in the US, ahead of both the La Croix and Pepsi’s Bubly brand. While Sparkling Ice is made with 1% juice, flavors from natural sources, vitamins and antioxidants, Sparkling Ice Spiked Hard Seltzer’s listed ingredients include carbonated water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, tripotassium, and sucralose. Sucralose is best known as Splenda. Weighing in with 80 calories and 4% alcohol, Sparkling Ice Spiked is the lightest hard seltzer on the market today. Read more 
Review: Baileys Deliciously Light
Baileys Deliciously Light was just released. As the name would suggest this is a reduced calorie version of Original Baileys Irish Cream. A 2.5 oz. serving of Baileys Deliciously Light weighs in at 16.1% alcohol with 139 calories .8 grams of fat, 7.8 sugar grams, and 9.3 carbs. By comparison Original Baileys Irish Cream weighs in at 17% alcohol with 233 calories, 10.1 fat grams, 13.3 sugar grams, and 16.1 carbs. Both are made with Irish dairy cream, rich chocolate and vanilla flavors. Baileys Deliciously Light does not contain Irish Whiskey. Read more
Review: CasAgave Blanco Tequila
CasAgave Blanco Tequila was released October 2020. It is sold exclusively at Total Wine and More. CasAgave is one of 130 tequila brands currently crafted at Destiladora Del Valle De Tequila. Some of the other brands produced there include 21 Seed, 6 Degree, Aquamiel, Casa Maestri, Chimayo, Cincoro, Contigo, Los Azulejos, Siempre, and Sparkle Donkey. CasAgave is made from 100% Blue Weber agave, estate grown in the Highlands Region on a farm located in San Julian Jalisco. The agave is slow steam roasted in centuries old traditional thick stone walled brick ovens for 36-54 hours. Once cooled the pinas are shredded and the juice is medium slow fermented before being double distilled. Read more
Review: Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer Variety Pack
Deep Ellum Brewing Company just released their Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer Variety Pack. Deep Ellum was the first craft brewery in Dallas when it opened in 2011. Deep Ellum is now the third largest independent craft brewery in Texas. It is located in Deep Ellum, a Dallas neighborhood that was established in 1873 as a commercial and manufacturing district for Black and European Immigrants. Deep Ellum currently produces 8 year round beers including Easy Peasy IPA, Deep Ellum IPA, Manic Confidence, Dallas Blonde, DTX Golden Ale, Neato Bandito, Dream Crusher, and Playdate Sour. Blind Lemon Hard Seltzer is named for Blues legend Lemon Jefferson who began his career in the 1920’s playing guitar and singing in the streets of the Deep Ellum neighborhood. He was known for his unusual vocal range and loud volume. The Blind Lemon Variety pack comes with 3 cans each of Blind Lemon, Blind Lime, Blind Berry, and Blind Peach Hard Seltzer. Each is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, cane sugar, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. These 12 packs are now available in Texas and Oklahoma with limited distribution rolling out in the Northeast in March. Deep Ellum promises a Hard Seltzer that doesn’t suck. Read more
Review: Kanpeki Vodka
Kanpeki Vodka is crafted in Branchville New Jersey. Brothers Gordon and Mike Geerhart left their construction jobs in 2015 and transformed a 125 year old building once used to store bales of grain into the Milk Street Distillery. At one time a creamery was located across the street and serves as the inspiration for the distilleries name. In the distilleries tasting room you will find a couple of photos from the Creamy strike of 1955. Striking workers are seen dumping milk and farmers are fighting back with baseball bats. The distillery opened January 2017 and Kanpeki Vodka was launched September 2018. It is double distilled from polished grains of pure white rice and is double filtered through a variety of carbons. Kanpeki is a Japanese word that means perfection. Several spirits including War Penny Bourbon, Dam Break Rye, Caraway Rye, Last Vestige Malt Whiskey, Blind Bettie Gin, Black Vulture Vodka and Wooden Leg Rum are also distilled and bottled here. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions Lemon & Elderflower Vodka
Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions Lemon & Elderflower Vodka was just released. It is made from a 100% corn distilled vodka base. Natural flavors and essence of real botanicals are infused before bottling at 60 proof. This is the fourth flavor variety in the Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions family. The others include Cucumber & Lime, Strawberry & Rose, and Watermelon & Mint. Pour 1.5 oz. of Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions Lemon & Elderflower in an ice filled glass. Top with club soda and garnish with a slice of lemon. Weighing in with 72 calories this cocktail has 28% fewer calories than a serving of White Claw or Truly. Read more
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