What Type Of Alcohol Is In Truly Hard Seltzers?

The hard seltzer movement is strong. Although companies like White Claw and Truly have been around since 2016, the hard seltzer craze really took off with the help of social media in 2018. But what is the mostly unknown and unrecognized alcohol used in seltzer? Truly, one of the country's most popular seltzer brands, uses alcohol made from fermented cane sugar. Essentially, sugar is heated with yeast, which converts the sugar into alcohol. The mixture is then strained, leaving a colorless and flavorless spirit. This process is not a new thing. It's been around since the dawn of humanity and is most well known in rum making, but is also used in hard kombucha as well as some beer and bourbon.

Truly makes its drinks by combining this alcohol with seltzer, real fruit juices from concentrate, and natural flavors resulting in a 100-110 calorie cocktail with one to three grams of sugar and 5% alcohol by volume. The final product is a spiked carbonated water that is loved for its refreshing and light qualities. Another reason for its popularity is the myriad of flavors available to suit all tastes. Truly plays with flavor in its Los Angeles flavor lab creating offerings like citrus squeeze containing orange, lime, and grapefruit or its zesty lemonade mix pack.

Meanwhile, the alcohol in White Claw, the number one selling hard seltzer brand, is made with triple distilled cane sugar and malted grains like barley. White Claw offers a dozen or so flavors including lime, black cherry, mango, and peach. It has recently branched out into tequila-based drinks with flavors like mango tamarind and strawberry guava as well as a higher alcohol beverage called surge with cranberry and green apple. 

High Noon takes another stance. It sticks with straight vodka or blanco tequila mixed with real fruit juice and seltzer. High Noon's vodka is distilled five times and made from Midwest corn. Its vodka line up includes common flavors like lemon, lime, and grapefruit as well as ones with a tropical flair like guava, kiwi, and passionfruit. For tequila flavors, they offer lime, strawberry, prickly pear, and blood orange. 

Acquired by Coca-Cola in 2017, Topo Chico is known for its sparkling mineral water collected in Monterrey, Mexico since 1895. It released a hard seltzer in 2021 through a partnership with Molson Coors. In 2023, the company introduced Topo Chico Spirited, which is a line of drinks with a base of real tequila or vodka.