White Claw ∙ Black Cherry
Cold Hard Facts
12 oz. skinny cans sold in 6-packs, within 12-can variety packs
16 oz. tallboy cans sold individually
19.2 oz. cans sold individually
16 oz.
2.7g sugar
167 calories
11 calories from sugar, 123 calories from alcohol
12 oz.
2g sugar
100 calories
8 calories from sugar, 92 calories from alcohol
20 oz.
3.3g sugar
200 calories
13 calories from sugar, 15 calories from alcohol
Flavor Profile
Black Cherry White Claw isn’t great off the bat, but if you manage to acquire a taste for it, it is just as refreshing and satisfying as any hard seltzer in your refrigerator. Initially, it is too sweet and a little too artificial to be palatable for lovers of tart beverages. That is not to say some people aren’t fans from the start; if you drink diet coke, there’s a good chance you’ll like this flavor the first time you drink it, because though it is only as sugary as other White Claw flavors, the taste is sweeter. After a few days of drinking it (or roughly 15-20 12. oz cans), it’s a lot easier to drink. A group of friends will watch this flavor go from last-in-the-cooler to first-to-run-out. It is crisp and light with a pleasant aftertaste, and it has a way of losing intensity over the course of a night. Unlike other cherry seltzers and sodas on the shelves, the flavor comes from the nose and the tartness is amplified by the carbonation. To put it simply, what makes this flavor so drinkable is that there’s not much flavor to begin with (let one go flat and see for yourself!), and it’s not too sugary to stand.
Drinkability
At 5%, you can drink all White Claw seltzers all day long. What’s the catch? You’ll be pretty turnt by the end of the day. For day drinking, a seltzer in the low 4% range is much more reasonable. Because of the mild flavor and aftertaste, the more of these you drink, the easier they go down.
Price
White Claw brand seltzers vary widely in price according to location and demand. The HardSeltzerReviews.com price index is shown here:
Dive Bar
$3 for a 12 oz. can
$4 for a 16 oz. can
$5-6 for a 20 oz.can (unlikely to be available)
Bar/Restaurant
$4-6 for a 12 oz. can
$5-7 for a 16 oz. can (unlikely to be available)
$8-12 for a 20 oz. can (unlikely to be available)
Store
$15 for a 12-pack of 12 oz. cans
$9 for a single-flavor 6-pack of 12 oz. cans
$2.30 for a 20 oz. can
Recommendations
Drink Black Cherry White Claw by itself or with a spirit for a boozy well drink. If you want to add just a tad of flavor and spritz to a fruity martini, add 1-3 tablespoons to your recipe after you shake it over ice. It mixes well with other mild hard seltzers.
Summary
Taste
3/5
Price
$$$
Drinkability
4/5
Hangover Ease
3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
An Excellent Choice
The flavor and drinkability of Black Cherry White Claw are solid. The price and hangover cost are a little less appealing, but not enough to take away from what is ultimately an excellent beverage. Hangoverwise, this is probably the best cherry-flavored beverage available because cherry drinks tend to rely on sugar for taste. The perfect version of this seltzer has 10-20% less alcohol.