Review: JJ Pfister Vodka
JJ Pfister Vodka is crafted by Master Distiller Brian Keck at JJ Pfister Distilling Company in Sacramento California. The distillery is named for the family patriarch JJ Pfister who emigrated to the US from Switzerland at the age of 25. He settled in San Francisco, and in 1876 he launched his first business, a one man knitting company. By 1889 the business was successful enough to build his first factory in San Francisco. The factory was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and was rebuilt in Berkeley California. JJ Distilling Company is a family owned business run by Kevin Keck the Great Grandson of JJ Pfister and the father of master distiller Brain Keck. Their first crafted spirit was a vodka distilled from potatoes they released in 2017. They currently craft about a dozen spirits including vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, eau de vie, brandy, and Drakus Honey Spirit. In 2020 they released their current JJ Pfister Vodka, distilled from organic rye locally farmed in the Sacramento Valley using sustainable practices. This vodka was originally produced as a base for JJ Pfister Gin and because it tasted so good they released it as a vodka. All of their spirits are crafted on custom stills built in Italy. Read more 
Review: Simply Spiked Lemonade Variety Pack
Simply Spiked Lemonade was just released and it is available in a four flavor, 12 can variety pack. Coca-Cola and Molson Coors have once again partnered in creating the brand. They also collaborated on Topo Chico Hard Seltzer. Coca-Cola acquired the Minute Maid brand in 1960. It was their first non soft drink acquisition. In 2001 Minute Maid launched Simply Orange made from 100% never frozen never from concentrate orange juice. Simply is now Coca-Cola’s second largest brand generating over $1 billion in revenue. Simply Orange is the second best selling orange juice brand in the US only trailing the Pepsi-Cola Company owned Tropicana brand in orange juice sales. In 2006 they launched Simply Lemonade made from pure filtered water, non-GMO lemon juice, cane sugar, and natural flavors. They have since added Simply Light Lemonade which is made with a blend of sugar and stevia. Simply Spiked Lemonade is made from a fermented cane sugar base with natural flavors and 5% real fruit juice including lemon juice from concentrate and flavor specific fruit juice concentrates. Like Simply Lemonade Light it is made with a blend of sugar and stevia extract. The main challenge I see with the brand is that each 12 ounce can weighs in with 170 calories and 18 sugar grams. The leading hard seltzer lemonade brands produced by Truly, Bud Light, White Claw, and Vizzy all tip the scale with only 100 calories, and no more than 1 sugar gram. On paper Simply Spiked Lemonade aligns more with Mikes Hard Lemonade and the 220 calories and 32 sugar grams found in each bottle of Mikes. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Seltzer Neon Lemonade Variety Pack
The Smirnoff Seltzer Neon Lemonade Variety Pack was released last month. Smirnoff has been making hard seltzer since they introduced their Spiked and Sparkling Seltzer in three flavors November 2016. Those flavors were Cranberry Lime, Watermelon, and Orange Mango. They have continued to tweak their recipes over the years, but they continue to produce their seltzer with a premium malt base. This is the same alcohol base they use in their Smirnoff Ice brand. Mikes Hard Lemonade also is made from a premium malt base. Most of the hard seltzers on the market today start with a fermented sugar or dextrose alcohol base. Smirnoff Seltzer Neon Lemonade is sold in a 4 flavor 12 can variety pack. Each 12 ounce slim can weighs in with 4.5% alcohol, 99 calories, and 2% juice concentrate. Read more
Review: The Bellinger Bomb Hard Seltzer
Ashland Hard Seltzer released The Bellinger Bomb the summer of 2021. It is one of 8 Limited Release Hard Seltzers they craft in San Diego California from alkaline water, yeast, dextrose, and organic natural flavors. The Bellinger Bomb was created in collaboration with Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger. Besides being a former National League MVP, Cody is a co-owner of Ashland Hard Seltzer. The Bomb Pop Popsicle a red white and blue three flavor frozen treat with Cherry, Lime, and Blue Raspberry flavors, is the inspiration for The Bellinger Bomb. It is currently sold in individual flavor 6 packs. Read more
Review: Dented Brick Disco-Nut Coconut Rum
Dented Brick Disco-Nut Coconut Rum was released July 2020. It is made in collaboration with the Utah Pride Center and the Pride Center at Equality Park in Florida. 10% of sales are donated to support these organizations. Disco-Nut Coconut is made from a 81 proof light rum base distilled from sugar cane molasses in the US Virgin Islands. The rum is then proofed down with artesian well water filtered through multiple charcoal filters. Coconut syrup made with real coconut, and edible glitter are blended before bottling at 50 proof. Dented Brick also crafts a Mango, Pineapple, and Passion Fruit flavored glitter rum. Read more
Review: Sundays Tequila Seltzer Variety Pack
Sundays Tequila Seltzer is crafted from their award winning tequila made from 100% sustainably farmed Blue Weber agave sourced from both the Highland and Lowland agave fields. Mitchell Hayes founded Los Sundays in 2016 and released their first tequila September 2017. The tequila is distilled in a family owned female founded distillery. Each 12 ounce slim can of Sundays Tequila Seltzer is made with real tequila, real, juice, sparkling water, and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Faux Pas Grapefruit & Orange Tequila Soda
Faux Pas Grapefruit & Orange Tequila Soda is one of four canned cocktails developed by Spirit of Gallo in collaboration with Betches, a female targeted media and entertainment company with 8.4 million Instagram followers. This is not Spirit of Gallo’s first collaboration with a dynamic media partner as they teamed with Ryan Whitney of Barstool Sports on the very popular New Amsterdam Pink Whitney vodka. Each 8 Oz. slim can of Faux Pas weighs in with 8% alcohol and 150 calories. They are sold in individual flavor 4 packs. The other varieties of Faux Pas include Spicy Mango Margarita, Lemon & Mint Vodka Soda, and Bartlett Pear Vodka Mule. Faux Pas Grapefruit & Orange Tequila Soda is made with “Real Tequila” and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Inspiro Luna Blanco Tequila
Inspiro Luna Blanco Tequila was released October 2021. It was created by former Chicago attorney Mara Smith and Master Distillery Ana Maria Romero Mena. Inspiro takes it’s name from the Spanish word for inspired. Inspiro is made from 100% Blue Weber agave. The hand harvested and trimmed the pinas are slow cooked in stainless steel autoclaves. Once cooled the pinas are crushed and shredded to extract the sweet juice. Two different yeasts are added in separate fermentation tanks. Once fermented the tanks are blended. The spirit is double distilled in alembic stills and rested for 30 days in stainless steel tanks before it spends a lunar quarter in American oak barrels and bottled additive free. Read more
Review: Hard Truth Original Vodka
Hard Truth Original Vodka is hand crafted from wheat on a Vendome Copper & Brass Works still in Nashville Indiana. They began distilling spirits in 2015 on the second floor of their Big Woods Restaurant before moving to a state of the art distillery in 2017. The 18,000 square foot distillery is surrounded by 325 acres of native forests. They currently craft about a dozen spirits including gin, whiskey, flavored whiskey, rum, flavored rum, cream liqueurs, vodka, and flavored vodka. Read more
Review: Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water Variety Pack
Spindrift Spiked Sparkling Water was launched April 2021 with a limited release in the Boston, Los Angeles, and San Diego markets. Distribution has since expanded. What sets Spindrift apart from the other hard seltzers on the market today is the absence of “natural flavors” on their ingredients list. While natural flavors certainly sound good, there are over 3000 chemical food additives that are classified as natural flavors. Spindrift was the first sparkling water made with real squeezed fruit when it was introduced in 2010. They have followed the same formula with Spindrift Spiked, as each 12 oz. slim can is made with real squeezed fruit. Spindrift Spiked is made from an alcohol fermented from cane sugar base, and real fruit juice. Read more