Vizzy
ZikG/Shutterstock
Once upon a time, the big selling point for Vizzy Hard Seltzer — in that it was advertised on every case and can — was that their products included “antioxidant vitamin C” and were flavored with “acerola superfruit.” For whatever reason all of that language is gone from the product, though the taste of the drink remains the same. Perhaps it’s the acerola, but Vizzy is one of the more “artificial” tasting Hard Seltzers on the market. It’s still enjoyable enough to make it on this list, but that will be a deal breaker for those palettes that don’t vibe with that sort of thing.
Bud Light
Steve Cukrov/shutterstock
Bud Light finds itself on this list for the pure audacity of its flavors. The variety pack selections include intangibly named high-concept themes like Hard Soda, Retro Tie Dye, Retro Summer, Flavor Burst, Apple Slice, Cocktail Hour, Classic, and Sour. There’s even a higher alcohol Platinum Seltzer line for people looking to double down on their mistakes.
Around the holiday season, the adventurous Seltzer aficionado should track down the Ugly Sweater variety pack. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried a hard seltzer that attempts to mimic a chocolate cherry cordial or Christmas nog. You can do better than Bud Light Seltzer, but you can also do far, far worse.
Press
The Image Party/Shutterstock
Press is the only hard seltzer in the market that is explicitly positioning itself as a “premium” brand. The cans and packaging are clean, and the actual seltzer is delicious. The collection of flavors aims at a more sophisticated palette with flavors like Pear Chamomile, Lingonberry Elderflower, Pineapple Basil, and Apple Cinnamon (okay, maybe they’re not all fancy).
The biggest knock against this seltzer is when you look at the back of the can. 110 calories per can and 4% ABV is the worst ratio on this list, and there’s as much added sugar in a Press as there is in your standard White Claw.
Stone Buenavida
Rui Elena/Shutterstock
The craft brewery giant (what a contradiction that is) threw their hat into the Seltzer ring with their Buenavida Hard Seltzer line. In the same way that their Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager was Stone’s take on the corona, this is meant to be a bespoke, high-quality Seltzer for the crowd who otherwise might turn their nose up to something on the same evolutionary ladder as a Zima.
The biggest draw is that these come in glass bottles, and it improves the overall experience. There’s just something inherently more appealing to drinking from an ice-cold glass than a simple aluminum can.
Nude
Antonina Vlasova/Shutterstock
Nude is a product line out of Vancouver, Canada that aims to deliver all-natural, guilt-free drinks that will satisfy your thirst without loading you up with all that pesky sugar. They have a hard seltzer line (or possibly had) along with a hard iced tea and even several low-calorie canned cocktails made from triple-distilled vodka, gin, and tequila. The packaging is clean and attractive, the flavors are subtle but not artificial — like a spiked La Croix if you’re into that sort of thing. With the packaging, branding, and broadly appealing flavor it wouldn’t be surprising for Nude to become a club favorite if they can get the right distribution.
Lone River Ranch Water
Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock
The Lone River Beverage company’s hard seltzer is called Ranch Water because that’s effectively what it is — carbonated Water, lime juice, agave nectar, and alcohol, all in a convenient aluminum can. One of the lightest on this list, both in terms of calories (80) and ABV (4%), Ranch Water is a wonderfully refreshing drink for those hot West Texas summer nights.
Lone River has four flavors at the ready — original, spicy, pear, and grapefruit — as well as a RanchRita line to double down on their cocktail inspo. The only knock against this seltzer is that it can be a little hard to come by, depending on your location.
Spindrift Spiked
JohannaWallace/Shutterstock
Spindrift Spiked is the hard version of the Spindrift sparkling water, and as such they share a lot of the same DNA and flavor profile. Made with real fruit juice with no artificial flavor, Spindrift Spiked is a delicious, refreshing seltzer with flavors that almost uniformly taste as advertised (something that is shockingly upcoming in the growing hard seltzer category).
The biggest knock against Spindrift is the lack of uniformity in the nutritional info. Every can is 4% ABV across the board, but the calorie counts vary from flavor to flavor with some as low as 88 and others as high as 98. Likely the price to pay for those great flavors, but still frustrating for the calorie-conscious consumer.
High Noon
Joni Hanebutt/shutterstock
High Noon is another hard seltzer on our list that uses spirits like Vodka and Tequila rather than fermented sugar. There’s an ever-expanding product line over at High Noon, and because they use real juice none of them have that artificial aftertaste that can be off-putting for some consumers. The trade-off, naturally, is that High Noon has some of the highest sugar content of anything on our list, so if you’re overly prone to hangovers you might want to look elsewhere. Still, High Noon is practically ubiquitous at this point so that can’t be that big of a deal breaker.
Wild Basin
Bignai/Shutterstock
Wild Basin is the hard seltzer brand from the Oskar Blues Brewery team. Though there have been complaints with Wild Basin of that bothersome artificial taste (likely from the presence of allulose), it isn’t nearly as pronounced as many of the other, lesser seltzers on the market. Credit to the team for taking big swings with their flavor varieties — the Paradise Mix pack is a standout and will be a conversation starter at your next BBQ.
Also if anyone from the Wild Basin team is reading, please bring back the Habanero Pina Colada flavor from your original now-defunct cocktail pack. It is missed.
Flying Embers Hard Seltzer
Kyle Oster/Shutterstock
You know how you hear a critic say someone is “your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian”? Well, Flying Embers Hard Seltzer is going for that, and doing spectacularly.
The folks over at Flying Embers must be working with some kind of dark magic out there in Ojai, California as each 12 oz can comes standard at 5% ABV, yet is only 95 calories with zero carbs and zero sugar — all without sacrificing delicious, elegant flavor or giving any kind of artificial aftertaste. Their flavors are bold and unconventional without being overly sweet, with their Botanicals & Bitters variety pack as the true standout. An absolute must-try for anyone getting bored with their favorite seltzer.
