Product: Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka Producer: Jeremiah Weed Distillery Approximate Retail Value: $20 for 750ml Category: Vodka Country of Origin: USA Reviewer: D. Kearney Sparano The F Words: Flavor – As expected, sweet and tea-like. Feel – Syrupy. Finish – Like a non-alcoholic drink, depending on how it is mixed.

Rating:

I had never heard of Jeremiah Weed’s Sweet Tea until a couple of days ago, when it was given to me by a friend. Apparently, I am not alone as the drink’s own site acknowledges that it has been a quiet phenomenon, typically enjoyed and best known on military bases (especially the Air Force). Jeremiah Weed has several flavors and originally began as a bourbon liqueur. The sense of the south and the southern gentleman permeates the site and image of the product. What I find particularly interesting is the series of video on YouTube featuring Jeremiah Weed discussing his products and how to drink them.

The Sweet Tea site is a little more sparse, but offers several good suggestions. There was no particular information on how the Sweet Tea Vodka is made; only that it is distilled from grain, which is common when making vodka. My only guess is that the vodka is distilled through the basic rudimentary process, nothing particularly special as it is not mentioned, and then infused with tea flavor. Most likely tea leaves are added to the vodka and given several weeks for the flavor to properly blend with the vodka. This, of course, is all based on independent research and is not confirmed by the Jeremiah Weed’s Sweet Tea site.

What does the product taste like, that is the most important question. The flavor of the Sweet Tea is somewhat dependent on the way it is drunk. There are several suggestions on the site, so I tried a variety of them. The first is the most straightforward, Sweet Tea on the rocks with a slice of lemon. At first sip, I didn’t like it. It is syrupy and tastes like unsweetened tea with a hard punch of alcohol behind it. The flavor does improve a bit as the ice dissolves and dilutes the alcohol.

Noticing the improvement of the tea as the ice melts, I try another recommendation of Sweet Tea and water. It is made exactly as it sounds, by pouring the Sweet Tea over ice, adding water and garnishing with a lemon. The water definitely helps neutralize the alcohol punch, creating a drink I can only describe as unsweetened tea with a kick. Actually it tastes more like unsweetened tea with Sweet n’ Lo. Overall it is better but not my preference. Finally I try one more recipe. This is called Weed and Lemon. It constitutes mixing the Sweet Tea with lemonade over ice and garnishing with lemon. This is the best inception I have tried. The lemonade adds the sweetness that the drink needs, while neutralizing the alcohol punch. I would even say that this mix borders on delicious, but also dangerous. As with any mixed drink it makes the possibility of overindulgence much more likely. So I recommend caution when drinking the Sweet Tea in this fashion.

I have mixed feelings about Jeremiah Weed’s Sweet Tea. It started out rough but got better as I tried different recipes. It is certainly an acquired taste and requires a lot of additives. On its own, to me, it is not that palatable. However, for those that are looking for a drink that barely has a hint of alcohol and love the taste of ice tea, this product is tailor made for them. I just don’t happen to be one of them.