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Check out our review/podcast from Last week –Happy Belly by Vermont Fermenters

Sam Tooke hopped onto the podcast to help me review this mix. Click on the player above or go wherever you get your podcasts to take a listen to My Big Fat Bloody Mary Podcast

The Company

Uncle Walt’s is part of Fat Boy Natural BBQ out of Hickman Nebraska. In addition to the bloody Mary mix, the company also makes barbecue rubs, sauces, and my favorite- a bacon rim salt called Denny’s Bacon Salt. More on that later…

The company does an amazing job on social media. I steal from their Instagram posts regularly. It’s always edgy and funny. They have separate accounts for Walt’s and Denny’s. I didn’t put two and two together until this review. I’d followed and enjoyed them both. Reaching out to the company I found them to be…cranky and less than welcoming. That’s fine. I’m told they distribute to 40 states in the US and also to South Korea and New Zealand. Rock on! Let’s talk about the mix..

What’s on the Outside?

The mix came in a plastic jug- not my favorite package but I get it- It’s cheaper and easier to ship that way. I see on the website that they do also offer glass bottles.

Unlike some mixes that show off the little bits of ingredients in an almost 3D appearance, Walt’s looks pretty homogenized. it looks dark and thick in the bottle.

*Note- after the tasting it was clear that the packaging and dark complexion of the mix belied the actual texure

The Taste

Pouring confirms the dark and thick appearance. First taste reveals an almost sauce-like mouth feel. Tastes are smokey and sweet. Surprisingly, there are indeed little bits of ingredients floating around in there. As the ingredient list might signal, there are a ton of flavors competing for my attention. It’s a bit intense and thicker than I like on its own. But that’s not how the end user is likely to drink a bloody Mary. Let’s add vodka…

Adding Vodka

Much better. The vodka thins out the texture of the mix and provides a little space between flavors. Now it’s a pretty tasty smokey, sweet, and with a light spice and a celery salt retrohale. I like it! It’s still on the saltier side so don’t forget the beer chaser!

Don’t Forget The Rim Salt!

Included with the mix was a tiny packet of Denny’s bacon rim salt- about enough for two, maybe three rims. Well the company seems to have emerged with BBQ as its genesis, so it’s not surprising that the rim salt adds even more smokey flavors. Unlike last week’s Rim salt from Vermont Fermenters, that was crafted to compliment and offset the flavors of the bloody, the Denny’s doubles down on what’s already going on. I admire the confidence! Salty and smokey like bacon- what’s not to like?

Summary

Sam and I both liked the mix and each gave it a thumb up. It’s pretty likable and would probably appeal to a large part of the bloody Mary community. It’s probably a one-and-done cocktail as the flavor and texture satiates the palate quickly. If you like a thicker, smokey sweet mix, Walt’s is your boy!