A lovely spice nose and notes of clove hold up nicely with tonic. There is almost a tannic texture which we attributed to the distilled barks.

Acidic and dry with notes of strawberry flavor. Nicely complex.

A panel favorite. The complex nose has a mix of anise, root beer, vanilla, marshmallow, a touch of orange, and an herbal characteristic mixed with an unidentifiable sweetness. We described the flavor as “root-ish” (à la root beer) with an earthy, dark quality. The anise flavor snuck up on us as we sipped along with a hint of black pepper and warming spices. We thought this had great mixing potential.

We found this beer to come at us in layers, which each tasted good. The carbonation wasn’t excessive, which we liked.

We noticed scents of hickory, barbecue smoke, caramel and barbecue sauce with a hint of sweetness. Overall, notes of vanilla and a lingering smoke flavor coupled with a touch of astringency. We tried this in a whisky sour and mixed with cola, and panel felt it was a solid choice for 1-1 replacement in recipes—or maybe use a little more than you would for extra depth. Great for those looking for a smoky flavor.

Forest, pine, tropical fruit (pineapple, guava), fruity bubble gum, on the nose and something that reminded us of Christmas flavors. Complex with tropical and candy notes. Many found it puckery, but not overly sour, and the texture was full, smooth, and slippery, making the mouth water.

Strong tequila, margarita nose. We found the spice/burn builds, warming the throat. Some found the level of heat too strong, others found it ideal. This didn’t disappear into the margarita cocktail. We found this to be a solid tequila alternative. Note: our panel tried a previous version of this spirit. The above notes refer to the updated recipe.

An almost chocolate nose with a nice light burn and a spiciness. We found it pleasing with both tonic, for a neutral taste, and also with ginger beer.

Attractive light purple color. Some noted a lavender nose, while others got candy shop. The panel enjoyed this cocktail but felt that it didn’t have enough lime flavor to suggest a margarita. We found it similar to a lavender spritz or even cream soda.