Formally known primarily for their vodka, it's entirely possible that Smirnoff is now even more famous for their series of malted beverages under the Ice brand name. I suppose it's a brand name. It reminds me of the Voodoo Ranger subbrand of New Belgium beers. Should it be a subbrand? Well, I've never actually had one before, despite their rampant popularity with particular segments of the population. Time to try my first one, and it is America flavored.
You may look at this picture and say that this beverage looks like Windex, and you would not be wrong. This sucker is blue. I expected to be carbonated, and pouring out of the bottle doesn't show much carbonation. Even once it's sitting in the glass, there are very few points of nucleation indicating that there's any kind of carbonation going on, but I see some. So, I'm going to add the label for hard soda. What kind of soda? America soda brought to you by a name that sounds distinctly Russian. The aroma is definitely berries, and there is very little alcohol tinge to any of it.
First sip is very like berries, and it is somewhat bland. The berries are not particularly distinct, so there's a mix of strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, and maybe even a blueberry. Really what strikes me is how watery it is, but I think that is part of the Ice brand. This is supposed to be an easy drinking beverage to enjoy all day long on a hot day, and the 4.5% ABV undercuts most of their rivals for a beverage that is unlikely to get you wasted particularly quickly.
Tip-in is almost sour berries before a swelling sweetness and the berries are along the lines of a Kool-Aid generic berry flavor rather than anything particularly distinct. The middle follows the sip very closely with the muddled berries awash in tons of water with minimal carbonation intruding anywhere along the line. The finish has a bit of an aftertaste like they used artificial sweetener or something, but the berry flavors are the only thing that remain while alcohol was not detected at any point.
You may look at this picture and say that this beverage looks like Windex, and you would not be wrong. This sucker is blue. I expected to be carbonated, and pouring out of the bottle doesn't show much carbonation. Even once it's sitting in the glass, there are very few points of nucleation indicating that there's any kind of carbonation going on, but I see some. So, I'm going to add the label for hard soda. What kind of soda? America soda brought to you by a name that sounds distinctly Russian. The aroma is definitely berries, and there is very little alcohol tinge to any of it.
First sip is very like berries, and it is somewhat bland. The berries are not particularly distinct, so there's a mix of strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, and maybe even a blueberry. Really what strikes me is how watery it is, but I think that is part of the Ice brand. This is supposed to be an easy drinking beverage to enjoy all day long on a hot day, and the 4.5% ABV undercuts most of their rivals for a beverage that is unlikely to get you wasted particularly quickly.
Tip-in is almost sour berries before a swelling sweetness and the berries are along the lines of a Kool-Aid generic berry flavor rather than anything particularly distinct. The middle follows the sip very closely with the muddled berries awash in tons of water with minimal carbonation intruding anywhere along the line. The finish has a bit of an aftertaste like they used artificial sweetener or something, but the berry flavors are the only thing that remain while alcohol was not detected at any point.
Bottom Line: Kind of weak and mostly tasteless, but I think that's what they were going for.
2.25/5
2.25/5