☕Review - Dunkin' Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee

Dunkin' Donuts Spiked Vanilla Iced Coffee

Released as part of Dunkin' Donuts ready-to-drink(RTD) alcohol suite in 2023, this Vanilla Iced Coffee hopes to convert on the booming canned cocktail trend. This wasn't Dunkin's first foray into alcohol, having previously partnered with Harpoon Brewery (Mass Bay Brewing) to collaborate on a few brews like Harpoon Dunkin' Pumpkin Spiced Latte Ale. Though those were limited edition craft beers, Mass Bay continues to be the producer for these mass(achussets)-market canned cocktails under the entity "American Spiked Beverages" and plans on keeping the two brands isolated from one another. “These tend to be thought of as a tailgating [product], a pick-me-up in the afternoon,” says Nathaniel Davis, President of Mass Bay Brewing. The coffees and teas are more of “a late-afternoon play” or treat. After first being released in the Northeast, the beverages can now be found in 28 states. The expansive Dunkin' Spiked lineup has many flavors including seven "coffees" at 6% ABV and four hard teas at 5% ABV, presumably because the tea has less flavor/body to cover up the booze. Sine launch, they've added a Peppermint Mocha, Summertime S'mores, and Pumpkin spice to the standard lineup, implying some success though the spiked coffee market lacks significant competition and is relatively undeveloped. They come in 12-can mixed packs, four packs of 12oz. and 19.2oz. singles. Caffeine is 30mg per can, negligible and far less than a cup of coffee. Lactose free, the spiked coffees rely on non-dairy creamer.

🌍Origin: Unknown

🔥Roast Level: Unknown

🧪Brew Method: Dunkin' Supplies its own Industrial Bean Extracted coffee extract (pressurized tanks with forced hot water to produce coffee concentrate). The alcohol in this Flavored Malt Beverage (FMB) is produced primarily from fermented sugar

👅Experience: Thin and watery, the vanilla flavor is metallic and artificial. If there is coffee in here, it's more of a coconut-milk-level undertone, slightly bitter but otherwise easily overlooked. The palate is overwhelmingly saccharine. In spite of the non-dairy creamer, which should help prevent separation, these need to be shaken VERY well prior to drinking.

🏆 Score: 1.25/5 - Pretty Poor - Did I drink it this time? Yes. Was it free? Yes. Would I drink it again? Honestly probably not. I'm not sure how the other flavors fair, but I'm very much out on this iteration. The Dunkin Double Espresso line is much better in my opinion; throw a shot in one of those.

💵Would buy again? Nope

⚖️Scale:

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