Stone jars were used to hold his new drink which he stamped with a picture of his dog Fearless.  He loaded them all up in a horse-and-cart and delivered them door to door.  Popularity quickly came and the business expanded to include several breweries in northern England.  To this day Fentimans remains in the family and though the product line greatly expanded, the ginger beer is still the cornerstone.

Tonics of the late 19^th century inspired the packaging design with its abundance of text, numerous descriptors and vintage silhouette.  A label featuring Fearless encircles the elongated neck of the 9.3oz (275ml) bottle and highlights the inaugural year of the business.  It’s entrancing, drawing in shoppers for a longer look and underscoring the uniqueness of the beverage.  There’s absolutely nothing else on the shelf like it.

Inside that bottle dwells a fascinating list of ingredients for this 130 calorie drink (translating to 168 for 12 ounces).  Into carbonated water go fermented ginger root extracts with cane sugar and glucose syrup as sweeteners.  There’s speedwell, juniper and yarrow extracts for the botanical burst.  Pear juice concentrate gives a depth of flavor and cream of tartar adds tang.  Citric acid is present as well.

Prominent fizz builds when pouring Fentimans.  The sparse sediment drifting in the cloudy, gold-tinted liquid isn’t all ginger.  Some bits hold a darker color, traces of the botanical emphasis on this ginger beer.  The nose is heavy in ginger, with an overture of botanicals and sweetness.  It’s that sweetness which touches the tongue first with ginger trailing close behind.  Alongside come the herbal tones.  The pine taste of the juniper comes through as does a tarragon-like flavor of the yarrow.  Breaths of lemon highlight the climax which also carries notes of pear.  There’s a bit of heat, prickles quietly playing on the tongue.  Botanicals then join the pear and whisper through the mildly sweet finish.

The flavor tells a story.  Pieces are introduced that entwine during the progression, building in intensity before settling into a satisfying denouement.  The herbs, the pear; Fentimans offers up an experience like no other ginger beer.  It’s complex and precise, infinitely creative and must be tried to be understood.

Final Decision: Second Tier – Alluring

Purchased locally at: World Market. Also available at British Isles | Available online at: Antiqology, British Food Shop, British Isles, BritSuperstore (a variety of options), Soda4U, Soda Emporium (singles & 4-packs), Soda Pop Stop.

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Quite a brag it is but a hollow one it is not.  Dozens of awards followed and their tonic water stands as the top selling brand.  Fever-Tree’s availability spans more than 70 countries and it almost certainly adorns a shelf in a nearby grocery.  For them the success has rained down in sheets.

The bottle suits the mission.  With a curvy, elegant silhouette, the 16.9 ounce (500ml) glass container sports an embossed fever tree and attractive labelling with a metallic finish.  The logotype feels a bit mundane and the font choice below it the same.  On the neck label, the logo’s tree is printed over the logo’s tree, which looks messy and seems unnecessary. The total effect presents as upscale but better packaging exists.

Within live 100 calories per 8oz serving, translating to 150 for 12.  Carbonated spring water makes up the base layer, sweetness blooms from real sugar and on top of that it touts natural ginger flavoring as well as actual fresh ginger.  The ginger used arrives from three different, far-reaching origins.  Ivory Coast contributes one, Nigeria the second and the third grows in India.  Each rides a slightly different spectrum of flavor which Fever-Tree claims compliments each other perfectly.  No preservatives are present.

The enchanting scent of fresh ginger bursts from the bottle upon opening.  Nested in a glass, spiciness entwines for a heavenly nose.  There’s sugar too, subdued.  Moderate carbonation permeates a liquid given a frosted glass appearance by the powder of fresh ginger softly drifting within. 

A reserved sweetness blankets the tongue a moment before a satisfying dousing of fresh, earthy ginger.  Prickles play about in the mouth and tickle the nose.  Botanical notes arrive as the prickles travel back in the mouth and touch the top of the throat, offering a spicy finish.  The ginger taste holds for an extended portion of the progression, remarkably long.  Heat rests upon the tongue in its wake, a lasting token of the experience.

Like an orchestra, elements each lay down their parts, harmonizing into a symphony of flavor.  Notes come from everywhere in a sublime complexity, assembling into a sophisticated ginger beer, both exotic and accessible.

The objective at the outset was to create the best mixers ever made and it’s hard to imagine a ginger beer better than this one.  It ticks every box and creates several more.  It holds the perfect balance of sweet and heat and the ginger tastes freshly grated off the root.  It’s spectacular.  It’s perfect.  It’s everything a ginger beer aspires to be.

Final Decision: God Tier – Untouchable

Purchased locally at: HEB

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