Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Taylor's Tonics Holiday Fizz Collection


Although I have had somewhat mixed results with Taylor's Tonic's products in the past, they seem to be a company that I keep coming back to. Their beverages are always interesting and unique, and it's always nice to find companies that are not afraid to take a more experimental approach with their product offerings. I was excited when I found this holiday soda assortment at my local World Market about a month ago, and despite some trepidation about eventually having to drink an egg nog soda, I decided to give it a try. The collection came with four flavors: egg nog, gingerbread, candy cane, and cranberry. Below is a quick overview of what I thought of each flavor.


The egg nog fizz was sure to be my least favorite of the bunch, so I decided to try it first. I really don't like egg nog in it's regular form, so I was not exactly excited about drinking a carbonated version of the flavor. As I expected, I didn't really like this very much. It was heavy and sweet, and the flavor lingered in the back of my throat for a while after each sip. Also, the egg nog flavor really does not go very well with carbonation. I can't say that I would recommend this one.


Having tasted all four of the flavors at this point, I think that the gingerbread flavor was the most interesting. That's not to say that it was the best, as it certainly had its issues (heavy, busy flavor, strong aftertaste, etc.), but it was definitely the most ambitious and different of the bunch. The beverage is supposed to emulate the taste of gingerbread with a combination of ginger, clove, and cinnamon, and it actually does so very well. The only problem with this is that you are...well, for the lack of a better description, you are drinking a gingerbread flavored soda. Again, it's an interesting concept that really just ended up tasting sort of strange in the end.


Given my disappointment with the last two flavors, I was starting to have my doubts about the collection. However, things began to look up a bit with the candy cane shake flavor. As many of you surely know by now, I absolutely love mint. I found Taylor's Tonics' take on candy cane to be a much more suitable flavor for a carbonated beverage, and I enjoyed this one much more than the egg nog and gingerbread sodas. However, the drink was still very heavy and sweet, and I found myself having a hard time finishing the entire serving. 


And last but not least, of course, is the cranberry. This was my favorite of the four sodas that came in the collection. I think that this was largely due to the fact that the flavor seemed a good bit more straightforward than the others, despite it's reasonably lengthy list of ingredients. It pretty much just tasted like cranberry, with a hint of other holiday spices here and there in the background. But still, the cranberry flavoring did suffer a bit from the typical, heavy consistency and sweetness of so many naturally brewed sodas.

I think that the fact that the cranberry was my favorite serves as a great example of my recently adopted philosophy about sodas. It has been my experience (particularly lately) that simpler, more straightforward flavors tend to lend themselves better to a sweetened, carbonated environment. In other words: the simpler the taste, the less likely it will be that elements of the sodas flavor will be lost in the mix. Simpler tastes ultimately leave me feeling more gratified, almost as though the simplicity of the taste offers a more whole and accessible experience.

Anyway, on to my last words about the holiday sampler. Although I did not particularly love any of these sodas, I really enjoyed the process of tasting each of them. Each one was different and unique in its own right, and the sampler was a fun and exciting break from a season of traditional (and often tiresome) beverages. I had some issues with the heaviness of each of these drinks, and I don't know that I'm entirely sold on the "old-fashioned brewed soda" taste just yet, but I still would say that this holiday collection is definitely worth a try if you ever run across one. If nothing else, it was a lot of fun.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: World Market [Columbia, SC]
Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]
Price: $6.99 [4-pack]


3 comments:

  1. Cheers Hayden! And our best to you. Thanks for taking the time and delivering a thorough insightful review. Our concepts are indeed unique, and we do aspire to have fun and creativity with our offerings...while still delivering a highest quality product. We've had all variety of exciting reviews come back to us on this collection and it's interesting to see the wide pendulum swing among individuals favorites. I'm excited to get back into the brewery next winter to see how each of these carries forward into future batches given the excellent feedback we've received from thoughtful/concise reviewers such as yourself. If ever you see me in person at an event or an expo, do say hello. Best Always, -Taylor!

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  2. Thanks, Taylor. I always look forward to trying your company's products. I can't wait to see what you all come up with next!

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  3. Numerous individuals nowadays are searching for more beneficial and less expensive different options for some of our most loved sustenances and refreshments. On the off chance that you or your gang drinks a considerable measure of pop (or pop or tonic on the off chance that you incline toward) you are paying a great deal of cash for water, sugar or high fructose corn syrup, enhancing, and a few air pockets. Seltzer, tonic, etc

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