Pit Bull Sugar Free

Now, I’ve not tried the full-fat version of Pit Bull at the time of writing this review, and this is my first ever taste of Pit Bull energy drink. I’m told that the sugar-free version tastes exactly the same as the regular version and I hope it does. Pit Bull’s flagship flavour is described as having “a great lemon/lime ginger ale taste”. Now, I can’t really compare it against ginger ale, but the lemon/lime flavour certainly comes through. It’s a refreshing summery drink which went down very nicely on the particularly hot day that I drank it on. Sadly, neither the can nor the web site advises the caffeine content of the product so I’ve made a guess at 10mg/100ml. It didn’t have a great kick, but it had a great flavour.

KX Sugar Free

KX Sugar Free is the low calorie version of the newly rebranded KX. In many ways it is identical, but the loss of sugar seems to have mellowed the flavour a little for the better. The harshness of the flavour is lessened making it a sweeter drink overall – quite strange considering it has no sugar. I’d recommend this over the full fat one if you are given the choice.

Blue Bolt Diet

At the risk of repeating myself… I’m going to repeat myself because Blue Bolt is Sainsbury’s own-brand energy drink. As soon as I opened the can I recognised the smell, and taking a sip confirmed it. I believe that Sainsbury’s and Asda must buy their energy drink from the same manufacturer because it is identical to Asda’s Blue Charge. You might as well just go and read that review if you want any more information… and just like the Blue Charge / Diet Blue Charge reviews, both Diet Blue Bolt and Fatty McFatFat Blue Bolt tasted identical and nasty! Come on energy drink manufacturers, I need a day drinking some nice energy drinks, where are they!??

Asda Blue Charge Diet

I tried this within hours of trying the full-fat version and to be honest I couldn’t tell the difference, so I’m going to refer you to that review for more information.

LSV Sugar Free

Compared to normal LSV, this drink was far smoother and much easier to drink. If you are faced with the choice between the two and prefer taste over the sugar-high then go for this one. Other than that, the drink is pretty much identical in aroma and aftertaste.

Emerge Light

Like its calorific cousin, Emerge Light is another Red Bull clone. Maybe it was the mood I was in at the time, but I preferred this low calorie version to the full fat. Of course, this now means I need to do a side-by-side taste comparison to be totally sure. Sadly though, there still isn’t much to discuss about this drink as it doesn’t stand out at all from amongst the crowd.

Relentless Libertus (Sugar Free)

This is the Sugar Free variety of the Relentless franchise. Instead of just marketing it as a low calorie version they’ve given it its very own name, and for good reason I might add. It isn’t just a de-sugared version of Origin, it is a whole new flavour. The bitterness of Origin is missing, but you can still tell that it is part of the Relentless brand. It tastes slightly watery compared to other energy drinks, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as this is what stops it being too sickly or too sweet.

The balance is just right in this product and although it’s not the best flavour out there, it manages what I would consider a well deserved middle ground: decent kick, sugar free, no bad aftertaste, and a flavour that should be acceptable to most.

Mixxed Up Light

Lidl have rebranded their Mixxed Up Sugar Free drink as Mixxed Up Light. At first I thought it was just a can design change, but when I tasted the drink I’m sure they’ve altered the flavour too. I can’t be 100% certain because I’ve not done a side-by-side comparison yet, but I’m sure it tastes slightly fruitier than the old one. Looking at the ingredients reveals nothing, they are identical, but proof that the drink has changed slightly is in the nutritional information panel: Salt Equivalent of the sodium is up from 0.23g in Sugar Free to 0.25g in the Light variation. So… something is up. Taste-wise it’s not a change for the worse, and it is moving away from being a Red Bull clone.

Target Energy Shot – Life

As far as shots go, some of them are really nasty tasting. This one is okay however – it has an unidentified fruit flavour with a slightly sour note. For a single caffeinated shot it isn’t that strong and it also has no sugars to give you an immediate sugar rush. The main reason for a shot is for the immediate wake-up kick that they give you and not the taste, so sadly this product is quite expensive when compared with alternatives such as Lucozade and Red Bull shots which deliver more punch.