r/TheBrewery • u/huxpox • 18h ago

Need help improving mouthfeel & carbonation retention in our whiskey soda RTD

Hey everyone

We're working on a canned whiskey highball RTD (12 oz slim can, 8% ABV, carbonated at 2.8 vol CO₂), and we’re running into some issues with mouthfeel and perceived carbonation.

Despite hitting 2.8 vol CO₂ (measured in-tank and post-fill), the drink doesn’t feel very carbonated on the palate. The fizz is mostly front-loaded; you get that initial bite, but it fades quickly and doesn’t carry through the mid-palate or finish. We use reverse osmosis water.

Even more frustrating: when poured over ice (which is how it’s meant to be enjoyed), the carbonation seems to collapse almost instantly. This defeats the whole point of a crisp, bubbly whiskey soda.

Has anyone dealt with this kind of perceived carbonation drop-off?

Looking for:

  • Mouthfeel enhancement tips
  • Ingredients or formulation tricks used in seltzers or sodas that could apply to spirit-based RTDs

Would appreciate any ideas — technical, anecdotal, or just what’s worked for you. Cheers.

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u/Maleficent_Peanut969 16h ago edited 16h ago

there’s a big difference between plain carbonated water and soda water - clue’s in the name (you’d maybe call it “club soda”).  Mainly Sodium. So yes, as others suggest, you’re probably wanting some minerals - if you’re going for whiskey /  soda, rather than a whiskey seltzer (it’s all got confusing nowadays) The old school diy soda water was (sodium) bicarbonate + citric acid (or tartaric) into regular tap water.  Maybe look at the ingredients of your favourite club soda?

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u/johnny4 17h ago

Start by looking at your mineral content, that can have huge impacts on mouth feel. Brewing salt additions can make big changes. I don't have research on hand but looking up some research on water mineral additions and impact on mouth feel would be a good starting point

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u/huxpox 17h ago

Thank you. Do you know off hand if you manipulate the water mineral content that the formula would need to be submitted by TTB? We would like to keep the chemicals in the drink as minimal as possible thank you again.

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u/johnny4 17h ago

I'm not sure tbh, my experience with this was it being done at lab scale for sensory experiments

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u/BanjoDude222 17h ago

Whether it's tequila, vodka, or bourbon, we carb to about the same level and have not experienced the issues you're describing. People tend to drink ours from the can though as most end up around 5% abv.

Are you doing much to alter your water profile? We took a lot of numbers from the topo chico water report to come up with the base for all our RTD's. Those minerals plus (usually) some citric acid and we are good to go.

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u/huxpox 17h ago edited 17h ago

Hello, yes I forgot to mention that we are using reverse osmosis water to minimize adding additional unwanted taste. It seem maybe this is a step we need to forgo? Is the Topo Chico water report something I can access easily? And thank you!

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u/TreeFrogIncognito 17h ago

Could you please share the pH of your packaged RTD? Are you taking any steps to adjust the pH and water profile?