Sealand Birk Review

Sealand Birk is a new beverage that just made its way to the shelves of the Shoppers Drug Mart near our place for $2.49 per drink. Though this is the first time I have ever seen, or heard of this beverage, apparently it has been available in the US for a few years now in bottles.

What is special about the Canadian release, at least to the best of my knowledge, my research online, and the broken www.sealandnr.com website listed on the package, is the cardboard container the beverage comes in. When I first saw it on the shelves, I thought it was a misplaced salt-shaker because, but when I picked it up, I felt the sloshing liquid and noticed the foil opening at the top. Great package, check it out below!

Sealand Birk is pure birch water, which is a relatively new thing to North America, but growing up in Europe, this stuff was everywhere, just like birch trees, which were everywhere. It was like our ginger ale/soda. I still buy bottles of birch water when I go to European stores in the GTA, but it is much more convenient to have this stuff sold at every Shoppers. 

The Original

It will be crazy not to start off with the Original flavor to set the baseline. If you are wondering, the Original flavor is just pure birch water with citric acid and a preservative. 

The water is almost clear, still and has a subtle and slightly tart birch aroma. The taste? Amazing. Yup, really good stuff. It is pure birch water with a light natural sweetness, a sour twist from the citric acid. It is hard to describe what birch tastes like, but if you like very lightly sweetened, freshly brewed white tea, then you will like birch water.

I loved this one and I downed the cardboard container in a few large gulps. I am definitely buying more.

Taste - 10/10

Ginger and Lime

There don't seem to be any colorants in the beverage as this one is as clear as the Original. In fact, the only extra ingredient is the added flavor. 

The Ginger & Lime birch water smells like a ginger ale with a subtle lime twist...nothing that I shouldn't expect. It tastes like a flat ginger ale that has been watered down with birch water with a squeeze of lime for a good measure. The added lime leaves the finish dry and made me reach for a glass of water to rehydrate myself. It sounds underwhelming, but it actually is very refreshing and on a hot summer day, it will be a wonderful beverage

Taste - 9.5/10

Raspberry

The raspberry aroma is veeeeery subtle, even more subtle than the birch juice. On the palate, the raspberry is a little bolder, but still fairly subtle. The finish is more tart than the previous 2 flavors, which gives drink the sensation of biting into a seed for a refreshing, short-lived burst of flavor. The finish is just as dry as the Ginger & Lime flavor and gets drier with each sip. The raspberry notes linger longer than the birch giving off a refreshing sensation.

This one is very refreshing and light on the palate.

Taste - 9.6/10

Elderflower

Another very common beverage flavor in Europe....and also another favorite of mine.

Aroma-wise, the elderflower flavor has the second strongest aroma, right after the ginger one. The taste is a little sweeter than the other flavors, which I found very enjoyable. The increased sweetness reminded me of sipping elderflower syrup as a kid at my grandmother house.

The flavor also seems to be a little more tart at the finish making this my favorite of the flavors (not counting the Original). The finish is a little sweet at the start but tart in the long tun.

Taste - 9.9/10

Overall, I thought that all of the Sealand Birk flavors were fantastic and will definitely buy them again.