The Waterloo Sparkling Water Flavor That Placed Worst In Our Ranking

Waterloo remains one of the best sparkling water brands in the game thanks to its bubbly, fruit-forward drink offerings. Still, some of the brand's flavors are worse than others. To help separate the good choices from the bad, Daily Meal tasted and ranked 13 Waterloo flavors to see which cans actually deliver. Grape, a flavor that promised a juicy, nostalgic taste, ended up at the bottom of our ranking.

Daily Meal ranked each Waterloo beverage based on how the product stacked up to the intended flavor, how distinct the beverage felt, and whether it was actually enjoyable to drink. The brand's grape-flavored sparkling water aimed high. Inspired by Concord grapes and childhood favorite sodas, this drink is meant to offer layered notes that echo syrupy sodas and flavorful drink mixes. Still, the experience doesn't quite land. The aroma of this drink makes a strong first impression, but the taste falls short. Drinking this sparkling water feels less like biting into a grape and more like a vague memory of the fruit. Add in a lingering bitterness — a common pitfall of carbonated drinks — and the whole beverage became harder to enjoy sip after sip. 

Instead of tasting refreshing, Waterloo's grape sparkling water feels too artificial, like a bad cover of your favorite song. Not every throwback drink needs bubbles, and this one probably could've stayed flat.

Despite its place on our ranking, some people are actually fans of Waterloo's grape-flavored sparkling water. One shopper took to Reddit to describe this drink as "a muted Grape Fanta." It might be my favorite flavor ever," they said. Still, others admit that it takes time to warm up to this beverage. One Redditor said they didn't like it at first because of that unmistakable "fakey purple grape flavor." Still, once they started thinking of the flavor as grape-flavored Nerds instead of Concord grapes, it clicked. Perhaps the drink shouldn't try to pass for fresh fruit,but be unapologetic about its candy-coded flavors.

Other fans praised this drink simply because it's one of the few grape-flavored sparkling waters on the shelves. In a seltzer market crowded with flavors like citrus or cucumber, anything purple is bound to stand out. There's no denying that Waterloo's grape-favored sparkling water is polarizing — but that's part of what makes it interesting. Whether you're team grape or not, it's nice to know you have options. (Just don't go overboard, as there are plenty of reasons you might want to drink less sparkling water.)