Liquid Death Staged the Most Nauseating Taste Test Ever

Liquid Death: “Now, what do you think of Brand B?”
Taste Test Subjects: “Blargghhhh! Blechhhh!”

In a sadistically entertaining blind taste test, the canned water company asks folks which tastes better—its new line of sparkling flavors, or various stomach-turning concoctions made of pricey stuff.

Big-ass spoiler: Liquid Death wins every time!

It’s good mean fun to watch volunteers sip from the brand’s $1.99 aluminum-sheathed H20 tallboys, then retch as they slurp down $580-an-ounce Beluga caviar smoothies, imported squid ink (retailing for $58), pureed Wagyu cheeseburgers ($51) and Lobster Bernaise sauce ($40 per serving).

That woman who hurls at the one-minute mark isn’t faking! 

“Full vomit. Can confirm—I was there,” Andy Pearson, VP of creative at Liquid Death, tells Muse. “Our taste testers were recruited through real-person casting. They thought they were being brought in under the guise of market research for flavored and sparkling water. Everything was put into a tallboy so it would be on an even playing field.”

Breaking across LD social channels, the clip, created with Hey Wonderful director Sam Cadman, spoofs commercials like the Pepsi Challenge of yore.

“The blind test taste is an old marketing trope that’s been used forever by food and beverage brands,” Pearson says. “But it’s always about comparing two things that are perceived to be the same. But our Flavored Sparkling Waters are premium in the category. Others are zero-calorie, zero sweetener and zero flavor. Ours are armed with 3 grams of agave and 20 calories for ruthless flavor. So, we decided to set our sights higher and go after the most expensive beverages on earth.”

At least they didn’t serve Tony Hawk’s blood. Maybe next time.

CREDITS

Co-Founder/CEO: Mike Cessario
VP of Creative: Andy Pearson
VP of Marketing: Greg Fass
Senior Brand Campaign Manager: Tia Sherwood
Liquid Death Executive Producer: Johnny Eastlund
Production Company: Hey Wonderful
Director: Sam Cadman
Hey Wonderful Executive Producer: Sarah McMurray
Line Producer: Angela Jones
Director of Photography: David Morrison
Director of Visual Propaganda: Alex Lang
Senior Nihilist: Brendan Kelly
Editor: Tyler Beasley