White Claw And Truly Both Launched Vodka Sodas, But Which Brand Is Better?
The hard seltzer market is heavily saturated. Shelves are always stocked with new wild and wacky flavors as brands continue to pop up with their own version of the boozy beverage. We’ve already tried just about every hard seltzer available, but most people can agree that the two industry juggernauts are White Claw and Truly.
They’re the two most popular brands sold on Drizly, they were among the first to hop on the hard seltzer bandwagon, and they’re some of the most widely stocked beverages nationwide.
But as competitors continue to throw their hat into the ring, the two leading brands both decided to expand their portfolio. In the past few months, both White Claw and Truly launched their own vodka-based canned seltzers. These new offerings are significantly more luxe because the standard malt liquor or sugar-based alcohol are replaced with premium distilled vodka.
So if you’re planning on hosting outdoor BBQs, beach parties, or picnics, having a pack of canned vodka sodas in your cooler is a serious upgrade. But which brand is better? It’s time for an official investigation.
We’re breaking down all the differences between White Claw’s Vodka + Soda and Truly’s Vodka Soda to see which one’s worth buying.
Nutrition
It’s time to look at the facts (nutrition facts, that is). Both White Claw and Truly mention that their vodka sodas are made with real fruit juice. That is indeed true, but they also supplement the juice with natural flavors.
And when it comes to macronutrients, they’re nearly neck and neck. White Claw’s Vodka + Soda clocks in at 100 calories per can, while Truly’s Vodka Soda is 110 calories. Both brands contain two grams of sugar.
As for alcohol content? Truly wins here with five percent ABV, which is the same as their original hard seltzer. White Claw’s Vodka + Soda is only four and a half percent—that’s less than what they offer with their classic lineup.
The biggest difference, however, between the two from a nutrition standpoint is the amount of carbs per serving. White Claw’s Vodka + Soda contains only two grams, while Truly’s version ranges from three to four. It doesn’t make a huge impact for many consumers, but if you’re abiding by a strict diet, it’s something to consider.
The differences overall are almost negligible. But we’re going to give this category to White Claw.
Variety
This round’s easy: Truly sweeps the category by a mile. They currently have 11 different flavors and three different variety packs available for purchase. We especially love that they have simple cans like mango, pineapple, and watermelon as well as more unique blends. Pineapple and cranberry? Peach and tangerine? Sign us up.
White Claw, on the other hand, only has four flavors out at the moment. We’ll cut them some slack since Truly had a nearly six-month head start. But fingers crossed we’ll see more offerings in the near future.
Price
This one is complicated. Some eight-can variety packs from Truly have a suggested retail price of $17.99, while the pack with multi-flavor cans costs $20.99. White Claw’s only variety pack is at $19.99. If we’re comparing cans with single fruit flavors, Truly’s version is cheaper. But do we really want to pay $3 more just to add a second type of fruit juice? Come on now.
Overall, the vodka sodas from both brands are more expensive than their original hard seltzers. We’re personally willing to shell out the extra cash; we also don’t necessarily speak for all consumers. If we had to choose one brand to win this category, we’d begrudgingly choose Truly. But since we’re still salty about that extra $3, let’s go ahead and call it a tie.
Flavor
This category is by far the most subjective out of all of the factors we’re considering. So we’re going to make a few disclaimers up front. First, we think cherry is a gross seltzer flavor in general—sorry. We can also admit that stacking White Claw’s measly four flavors up with Truly’s massive roster is more than a little unfair. So we’re focusing most of our opinions on the flavors shared by both brands.
First up: the pineapple. We found that White Claw’s pineapple flavor tasted more like the actual fruit. That doesn’t mean Truly’s version is bad by any means, but it wouldn’t be our first pick.
Next is the watermelon flavors. This one goes to Truly. The refreshing taste of the watermelon juice was more pronounced than it was in White Claw’s version.
The other flavors offered by White Claw are cherry and peach. Truly also has those flavors, but they’re boosted with lime and tangerine respectively. And two types of juice are always better than one (especially when the lime can cover up the cough syrup-esque cherry, yuck). It’s not a fair fight, however, so we’re reserving our judgement.
We’re also going to give a special shout out to Truly’s passionfruit flavor because it’s just that good. The flavor is bright, tangy, refreshing, and transports us to a beach vacay with every sip.
When it comes to direct flavor comparisons, the Truly vs. White Claw fight is a toss-up. But only because there are more delicious flavors available with Truly’s Vodka Soda, they’re the overall flavor winners—for now. When White Claw catches up with more flavors, we’ll gladly reevaluate.
Have you tried these new canned vodka sodas? Which one’s your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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