It’s no secret that we have tried our fair share of CBD products since it came crashing onto the mainstream market. There is CBD in almost anything your hearts desire these days and typically, my heart desires locally distilled booze of course.
Strangeways very kindly sent us their entire range of CBD infused spirits to tye and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Let me tell you a little about Strangeways in their own words first;
“Here at Strangeways, we want to be recognised as pioneers of CBD infused alcoholic beverages whilst highlighting many of the acclaimed benefits of cannabidiol hemp-based products that are often associated with health and wellbeing.”
“Our beverages are hand-crafted, distilled, and bottled in Manchester. Our CBD extract is of the highest quality and of course supported by COA (certificate of analysis) and our spirits are a cacophony of botanical flavours delicate tastes and complex aromas. Our simple desire is to establish ourselves as purveyors of fine spirits. Producing beverages of distinction and superiority for all to enjoy.”
CBD Infused Hazy Vodka
Collectively at Canex, we decided the Hazy vodka was our favourite bottle style-wise. The deep blue frosted glass is stunning and would all love it to live in our drinks cabinets.
I, in fact, really loved that each spirit had its own colour identity and that Strangeways stepped out of the box of the typical clear glass bottles most spirits have. This makes it particularly easy to spot behind the bar.
For a 40% vodka containing CBD, I was waiting for that bitter aftertaste I’ve come to expect from so many of the CBD products I’ve so far tried and reviewed but it never hit like that. It was deliciously fresh and clean.
We loved this so much we’ve saved a bottle to make cocktails with for our upcoming podcast, Not That High, The Canex Podcast.
CBD Infused Hazy Dark Spice Rum
“Sweet and slightly robust, with hints of caramel and vanilla, our Dark Spiced Rum invokes the ambiance and fragrances of the Caribbean.”
The Hazy Dark Spice Rum was 100% my favourite. The caramel and vanilla notes really gave this CBD rum a smooth, sweet taste, again with no harsh aftertaste. In fact, I would go as far as to say this was THE best-spiced rum I’ve ever tasted.
This would have been a solid 10/10 if I loved the bottle as much as the blue vodka bottle.
CBD Infused Hazy Strawberry Gin
Unlike your usual Strawberry Gin, not overly sweet and not at all like a gin liqueur, which was in fact a pleasant surprise. Flavoured gins are all too often extremely sickly but this CBD Gin is not, at all.
A delightful fresh strawberry taste and although slightly harsher than the vodka and rum, for my personal taste, still a delicious, fresh gin.
I really loved the satin black bottle for the Gin range with the black gloss cannabis leaf emblem too.
CBD Infused Hazy Dry Gin
“A marriage of spiced notes from cinnamon, coriander, and ginger with the balance and depth of fresh orange, lemon, and grapefruit peel. Bold and slightly complex with just a hint of lemon leaf, it’s harmonious and delicious. Infused with CBD from authorised and regulated suppliers in the UK, it’s designed for wind-down. So, enjoy.”
As with the Hazy Strawberry Gin, we loved the satin black bottle with the poppy blue text to differentiate between the dry gin and the pink text of the flavoured.
Again, we loved this gin and tried it with many different types of Tonic, you know, purely for research purposes of course. Because of the spice and citrus notes, we thought it went particularly well paired with elderflower tonic. For all of us, it was a clean sweep of all four of Strangeways offerings.
Now, this isn’t something Strangeways claims but we’re almost sure the CBD lessened the effects of the hangover too. Win-win!
