We compared leading hard seltzer brands White Claw and Truly - and the winner was clear

Bethany BironSep 12, 2019, 19:20 IST

Bethany Biron/Business Insider

We may be approaching the official start of fall, but consumer demand for hard seltzer - the unofficial drink of summer - is showing no signs of stopping.
White Claw has solidified itself as the leading brand in the category, and the beverage has amassed so many enthusiasts that it has started selling out in certain parts of the country.
Business Insider tested White Claw and one of its biggest competitors, Truly. In the end we couldn't deny that Claw is the law.
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There may be a temporary White Claw shortage, but that doesn't mean we can't compare the top-selling hard seltzer brand with one of its main competitors: Truly.

Even as the days grow shorter and the air turns brisker, demand for the unofficial drink of the summer is showing no signs of stopping. While White Claw is "working around the clock to increase supply given the rapid growth" - according to Sanjiv Gajiwala, senior vice president of marketing at White Claw, speaking to Business Insider last week - we figured we'd see if it's worth the wait.

Looking strictly at ingredients, White Claw and Truly are nearly identical. Both are brewed using a mix of seltzer water, a gluten-free alcohol base, and a touch of flavor. A can of each sets you back just 100 calories and contains 5% alcohol by volume. The only difference comes down to carbs - while White Claw has 2 grams, Truly has just 1.

What Truly lacks in carbs it makes up for in flavors. The brand boasts 13 total flavors across variety packs of tropical, citrus, and berry, as well as a rosé-flavored water. Meanwhile, White Claw keeps it simple with five core, fruit-based flavors and its limited-edition flavorless offering called "Pure."

A group of fellow Business Insider colleagues and I recently sampled select flavors from both brands and found that when it comes to hard seltzer, there's a reason White Claw is flying off shelves. Despite its structural similarities with Truly, White Claw just tasted better all around. The group unanimously came to the conclusion that Claw is indeed the law.

Read more of our thoughts on both, and why we thought White Claw came out on top, below.

See We compared leading hard seltzer brands White Claw and Truly - and the winner was clear >>

For the sake of our test, we sampled the classic White Claw variety pack and Truly's Tropical Mix and Citrus Mix (not pictured).

The White Claw flavors we sampled included natural lime, raspberry, ruby grapefruit, and black cherry.

The Truly flavors we sampled included orange, lime, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, mango, passion fruit, and pomegranate.

On our taste test form, White Claw received a 100% 5 rating on a 1-5 scale of "terrible to awesome."

It ws clearly a fan favorite.

The group loved it. "Much better than I expected!" one colleague wrote. "Crushable, chuggable, just perfect to drink and not overthink."

Though we were split on our favorite flavors, the general consensus was that we really enjoyed them all.

"Better than actual seltzer, love the real fruit taste," a colleague wrote.

Overall, we felt fairly "meh" about Truly. Two tasters even gave it a 1 rating on the tasting form.

"It tastes good at first, but then it has a weird, sour aftertaste," one colleague wrote. "I don't like Truly," said another.

On the whole, we simply weren't as excited about Truly as we were about White Claw.

"It's fine," wrote one taster. "Good, kind of unremarkable," said another.

Of the eight Truly flavors we tried, lime was the only one the group liked.

"I had the lime Truly and I really liked drinking it, but the after taste was in my mouth a little too long," one taster wrote.

In the end, White Claw proved victorious.

Here's to hoping it's back in stores soon.

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