Red Bull Energy Drink

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 2 oz energy shot
BevNET Review: Red Bull’s entry into the shot category is a meaningful one for a variety of reasons, starting with the fact that this is the energy brand that mainstream consumers are most familiar with. That being said, this brand’s entry into the shot category adds a very recognizable element to a market sector that is still largely filled with unknowns. It’s something that should benefit even the more established brands in the category. As for the product, Red Bull has definitely exceeded our expectations on many levels. First, the packaging. It’s a 2 oz. proprietary package that’s fully wrapped and almost perfectly cylindrical, with the exception a slight notch just below the cap. There’s no mistaking the design of the product for anything but part of the Red Bull family. They’ve kept it clean and easy on the eye, using vibrant colors and minimal text on the front panel. However, we found it difficult to remove the wrapping from the cap and the tab on the under-cap seal was also difficult to remove. Flavor wise, this is a very drinkable product, with a sugar and sucralose blend giving the product a full-strength sweetness but with only 25 calories. This product tastes a bit stronger in body than the classic Red Bull flavor, although it might just be the lack of carbonation playing tricks on our palate. And last, but not least, it has some noticeable kick. All in all, it’s a very mainstream flavor that should be a hit with Red Bull drinkers as well as those who have already gotten into energy shots. Definitely one of the most interesting and well-executed entries to date.

Product Type:Functional: Energy Shot; Container: 2 oz energy shot
BevNET Review: Using the same great-looking package as their “regular” energy shot, Red Bull’s Sugar Free Shot is an attractive product that will stand out from the sea of competitors that are out there. Aside from using a proprietary package that makes it look different, there’s the wild-card that is the Red Bull brand. Just how well it will translate to the shot category remains to be seen, but our guess it that it will pull extremely well. Inside the bottle, this product has the classic Red Bull flavor, sans carbonation and sugar. Instead, it uses a blend of three artificial sweeteners (ace-k, sucralose, aspartame), which certainly works better than straight sucralose or aspartame. The resulting mix has 2 calories, a decent amount of sweetness, a mild energy bite and aftertaste, and a noticeable kick of caffeine. All in all, we think that Red Bull has done pretty well with their sugar free effort, although we preferred the regular variety a tad more.