Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
It’s wild to think that Dr Pepper has its own cinematic universe. Every fall, their Fansville commercials re-introduce college football fans to a cast of recurring characters on par with Progressive’s salespeople or Geico’s cavemen or, uh, well probably a bunch of other non-insurance adsfolk I’m not remembering.
The Fansville ads are mostly innocuous, occasionally funny and, importantly, a necessary buffer between political ads in election years. They’re ingrained into Dr. Pepper’s identity, so much so that the denizens of this imaginary community have been gifted their own special Doc P variant; Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve.
This new blend isn’t for sale and available only through the Dr Pepper Rewards exchange — an online portal that effectively tracks your purchasing habits but offers free soda and various discounts in return. You don’t have to buy anything to get your can, but you do have to win one of 2,300 specially minted kits through a lottery system that gives you one free shot at Fansville Reserve per day.
Because I am special (read: because I emailed Dr Pepper politely and asked if I could feature their new drink) I was able to get a can despite my constant failings in the sweepstakes. They, fortunately, said yes. So how did it taste?
Pretty dang good, actually.
Dr Pepper Bourbon Flavored Fansville Reserve: A-
This pours with all the sparkling effervescence of the regular soda, albeit in a fancier glass because, you know, special. It smells like the regular thing up front — bubbles and that can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-it fruit that makes Dr. Pepper stand out. Towards the end you get that sour mash smell of an old distillery. OK, I’m excited.
The first sip follows the same pattern. Traditional Dr. Pepper taste and bubbles up front, but the finish captures that whiskey ideal. Instead of wrapping up with sweetness, Fansville reserve hits you with a little bit of that charred barrel, roasted grain complexness that makes this different from its predecessor. It works well with a beverage that already lent itself to whiskey mixing effectively. It’s not nearly as strong as a traditional Dr Pepper-bourbon combat margarita and, thus, easier to drink.
It’s good enough to stand on its own — I’d put it up against Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla — so if this is a test run for a brand extension it’s a solid start. But I also really like whiskey, so maybe it’s a limited market. Either way, you get Doc P up front, then a little malt, then a little sweetness for what’s all-in-all a pretty decent soda.
Alright, let’s add some booze to it, even though it’s a basic mix already being enjoyed at student tailgates across the country. And, since I’m fighting a cold and couldn’t make my Will Levis mayonnaise-addled Irish Coffee without immediately vomiting, I’m gonna spin that into its own column as my College Football Cocktail this week.
