Friski Whiski is advertised as a non alcoholic whiskey alternative. It is a double gold winner of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Designed by Sexy AF Spirits, which is based out of Alberta, Canada. Sexy AF’s spirits are 100% alcohol-free. While other NA spirits may contain up to 0.5% alcohol, they do not utilize any type of alcohol in their spirit creation process.
Sexy AF states that their NA spirits are meant to be used in mocktails to create refreshing alcohol free cocktails, and not specifically designed to be consumed neat.
Despite this suggestion, I will always hold to the reality that any ingredient substitution is obviously going to affect the taste of a cocktail.
So to determine whether Friski Whiski can indeed be used as a whiskey alternative, we’re going to be testing it out to see.
How does Friski Whiski compare to other NA whiskeys? See how it ranks here.
On The Nose
Have you ever smelled the honey flavored Ricola cough drops?
Well, if you have, then you pretty much know what Friski Whiski smells like.
If you haven’t, here you go.
To begin with, it has an extremely strong honey smell, but is more like processed syrupy honey.
I just grabbed a jar of raw organic honey that I had to compare.
The raw honey has a deeper earthy scent to it, while Friski Whiski has more of a processed sweet honey smell.
Additionally, it has a strong herbaceous aroma to it.
I’m picking up on an almost anise like scent and am reminded of sage, though I can’t say it smells exactly like that.
Really, these are the main scents I’m picking up on which is why it reminds me so much of a honey Ricola.
Drinking Neat
This is probably the first of the non alcoholic beverages I’ve reviewed, that actually tastes like it smells.
At first taste it has a very sweet honey like taste to it.
The feeling of the non alcoholic spirit in the mouth is a bit thick, not quite syrupy, but it is thicker than a traditional whiskey.
After swallowing, the honey sweetness begins to fade away, and you begin to taste the botanicals and herbaceous bitter flavors that’s reminiscent of anise and fennel.
Once these flavors begin to fade, you’re left with a dry-like mouth feel and a bitter taste in your mouth and throat.
There’s really nothing about this that I would recognize as being whiskey-like. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted a whiskey that had a flavor profile anything like this.
And, not to repeat myself, but if you’ve ever had a honey Ricola, Friski Whiski tastes very similar to that.
Drinking On The Rocks
Drinking on the rocks mellows out the heavy honey flavor of Friski Whiski, but it maintains the same level of bitterness in the finish.
It doesn’t change the flavor or accentuate any notes on the rocks.
For the most part, it tastes about the same, just cold.
Friski Whiski Non Alcoholic Cocktails
Sexy AF does not list any of their recommended recipes publicly on their website.
They have them within a recipe book that states it has a $24.99 value, but is available as a digital download for free.
Downloading the ebook and reviewing the recipes, most of the recipes listed for Friski Whiski also call for one of Sexy AF’s other products to be used as well.
I’m going to list out a couple of the recipes from the book that only call for Friski Whiski.
Double Smoked Friski Whiski Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Friski Whiski
- 1/4 ounce Demerara simple syrup
- Bitters
Method:
- Start off by smoking a mason jar, until it’s filled with smoke (Recommended woods are French oak or cedar)
- Add in all ingredients into the mason jar and tightly close the lid
- Smoke a pre-chilled old fashioned glass
- Add whisky ice cub to the glass and strain the mixture from the mason jar into the old fashioned glass
- Stir for around 15 seconds and then garnish the drink with a slice of orange peel
Friski On The Beach
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounces of Friski Whiski
- 2 ounces of pineapple juice
- 2 ounces of coconut water
Method:
- Add the ingredients and ice into a cocktail shaker
- Shake until well chilled
- Strain into a pre-chilled coupe glass without ice
- Garnish with a wedge of pineapple
Friski Autumn Pear
Ingedients:
- 1 1/2 ounces of Friski Whiski
- 3 ounces of pear juice
- 1/4 ounce of maple syrup
- 1/2 ounce of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon peel
Method:
- Add ingredients (minus the lemon peel) into a cocktail shaker with ice
- Shake untill well chilled
- Strain into a martini glass
- Express the lemon peel over the glass and place on top of the drink for garnish
Conclusion
Well, to wrap it up. Friski Whiski doesn’t taste like whiskey. At all.
I also don’t pick up on any of the flavor notes that Sexy AF’s website states it should have.
They state that you should be able to pick up cinnamon and all spice in their tasting notes, but I didn’t taste either of these spices.
They also listed kola nut in their tasting notes. I’ve never knowingly tasted kola nut, so I can’t say for sure whether this was part of the bitter taste I was picking up on or not.
If I had purchased a bottle of Friski Whiski, and it had been named something like Herbal Honey Spirit, this would be a great NA addition to my collection, but trying to sell this as an alcohol free whiskey doesn’t even make sense to me.
I think the bitter, herbal, and honey notes that Friski Whiski offers will actually add some good complexity for some future cocktails, but for what this drink is trying to offer, it’s probably the worst attempt at a whiskey alternative that I’ve tried.
