The Artificial Palate

Fine tasting notes for questionable beverages.

Recently Tasted

  1. Deep purple Monster Energy Ultra Violet can with fine silver decorative patterns, a silver claw logo, and Zero Sugar around the rim.

    Monster Energy

    Ultra Violet Ultra / Zero Sugar

    10 out of 10

    My favourite energy drink ever – the benchmark no other can has dethroned, deserving every point of its perfect score.

  2. Turquoise-blue Monster Energy Ultra Blue Hawaiian can with tropical line drawings, a silver claw logo, and Zero Sugar around the rim.

    Monster Energy

    Ultra Blue Hawaiian Ultra / Zero Sugar

    6 out of 10

    Drinkable, though hardly a masterpiece; the fruit cocktail could use a firmer hand from the cellar master.

  3. Pink Red Bull Pink Edition can labelled Wild Berries, with silver bulls, blue Sugarfree bands, and droplets on the can.

    Red Bull

    Pink Edition Sugarfree

    4 out of 10

    Luxury bathroom essentials in an energy-drink can – an intriguing experiment in perfumery, best left unsampled.

Highly Rated

  1. Deep purple Monster Energy Ultra Violet can with fine silver decorative patterns, a silver claw logo, and Zero Sugar around the rim.

    Monster Energy Ultra Violet Ultra / Zero Sugar 10 out of 10

    My favourite energy drink ever – the benchmark no other can has dethroned, deserving every point of its perfect score.

  2. Battery Fresh Exotic Fruit can with an orange-to-red gradient, a large black battery symbol, vertical black BATTERY lettering, and white FRESH lettering.

    Battery Fresh Exotic Fruit Exotic Fruit 7.5 out of 10

    Enjoyable and surprisingly drinkable – caramel confectionery gets top billing here, whatever the tropical itinerary on the label.

  3. Pistachio-green Red Bull Winter Edition can labelled Pistachio & Berries, surrounded by pistachios against a turquoise-to-pink background.

    Red Bull Winter Edition Pistachio & Berries 6.5 out of 10

    Unusual but surprisingly pleasant – an apple orchard with a distant memory of nuts, despite the pistachio-dessert billing.

  4. Turquoise-blue Monster Energy Ultra Blue Hawaiian can with tropical line drawings, a silver claw logo, and Zero Sugar around the rim.

    Monster Energy Ultra Blue Hawaiian Ultra / Zero Sugar 6 out of 10

    Drinkable, though hardly a masterpiece; the fruit cocktail could use a firmer hand from the cellar master.

The full Cellar