Review: Truly's Getaway Pack Puts A Tropical Spin On Classic Hard Seltzer Flavors

Nowadays, there are many popular brands in the hard seltzer game, but Truly is perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the running. Truly hard seltzers have been on shelves since 2016, albeit originally in a bottled form. Today, Truly is instantly recognizable thanks to its distinct skinny cans. Unlike 2016, when there were only three available flavors, Truly has expanded its flavor repertoire, offering various flavor packs, higher alcohol flavors, and even canned vodka and tequila sodas. 

Besides the classic Truly hard seltzers, which include flavors such as wild berry, strawberry lime, lemon, grapefruit, watermelon, and pineapple, comes the occasional limited-release pack. The latest and greatest limited-release to join the Truly lineup is the Getaway Pack, which features four new yet familiarly fruity flavors: Arctic Berry, Rainforest Retreat, Tropic Like It's Hot, and Mountain Pear-adise.

I've given these new, tropical- and vacation-themed Truly labels a try to see which flavors hit the sweet spot and which are a little lackluster. I've tried just about every Truly flavor out there and have also ranked spiked teas in the past, so I knew I was up to the challenge. Some of my criteria in reviewing these seltzers included how good they tasted and if they lived up to their purported flavor. I've also considered if a flavor felt particularly refreshing or extra delicious, but also if any had a particularly odd or unsavory taste.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The flavors featured in Truly's Getaway Pack — Mountain Pear-adise, Arctic Berry, Tropic Like It's Hot, and Rainforest Retreat — are all unique to this specific pack, though they relate to the flavors that have been featured in other Truly lineups. For example, the new Arctic Berry flavor seems like it could belong in the Berry Mix Pack, though it does ultimately offer a flavor combination that Truly hasn't released before. Supposedly bringing the "essence of the Arctic tundra with its icy blueberry-forward flavor featuring fresh raspberry notes," Arctic Berry seemingly leans towards a general mixed berry flavor approach.

Meanwhile, Rainforest Retreat is also exploring the multi-fruit flavor profile, with the "subtly sweet taste of dragon fruit and top notes of juicy watermelon." Moutain Pear-adise, though seemingly just pear flavored at first glance, is meant to feature both Bartlett pear flavor and fresh green apple flavor. Finally, the Tropic Like It's Hot flavor has perhaps the most going on, being described as a "creamy blend of pineapple and guava, with subtle notes of vanilla and papaya."

Flavor aside, these limited-release labels are very similar to the old ones when it comes to their nutritional breakdown. Each 12-ounce can has 100 calories, 1 gram of sugar, 3 grams of carbs (slightly different from other Trulys, which often have 2 grams of carbs), and 5% alcohol by volume. The only nutritional difference between the four flavors in this pack is that the Arctic Berry flavor has 65 milligrams of sodium, whereas the rest have 45 milligrams.

The Truly Getaway Pack is a limited-release, which means that it won't be on the shelves forever. We don't have an exact time frame specifying how long these flavors will be available for purchase, but we have the info that they'll be available in winter and while the supplies last. So, if you're really eager to try this pack, it'd be best to seek it out sooner rather than later.

As for where you can find the Getaway Pack, it should be available at most grocery and liquor stores that already include Truly in the portfolio. However, since this is a limited-release, there's a chance that some smaller, local retailers might not stock it. In that case, checking out a bigger chain like Walmart, Target, or Meijer may be your biggest chance for success in finding the product. To hunt down a Getaway Pack near you, use Truly's product locator for the most accurate results.

The price of the Getaway Pack may vary slightly depending on where you shop and if your store has any deals going on. The prices vary anywhere from $15.99 and higher, so for a 12-pack, you can reasonably expect to spend roughly somewhere around $20. 

Though the name Tropic Like It's Hot doesn't give too much insight into what the seltzer flavor might be, the image of a pineapple at the top of the can definitely provides a little context. Indeed, Tropic Like It's Hot does taste very pineapple-forward, which is always a good thing in my book. Pineapple is one of my favorite flavors, be it in a seltzer or any other sparkling drink, but my only real concern here was that Truly already has a straight-up pineapple flavor in its lineup. How different could Tropic Like It's Hot really be?

As it turns out, this flavor is notably different from Truly's classic pineapple. The biggest flavor note I picked up on, aside from the pineapple itself, was vanilla, a welcome warmth and depth that made this seltzer taste different from any other  tried before. Tropic Like It's Hot was also supposed to have flavors of guava and papaya, and truthfully, I wasn't really picking up on those. This seltzer was very pineapple-forward, with apparent notes of vanilla, and a certain creaminess that, again, is pretty uncommon for a seltzer. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the way that Tropic Like It's Hot managed to reinvent a tried-and-true pineapple flavor. If you don't like vanilla, then this one isn't for you, but vanilla fans — and those who enjoy Truly's regular pineapple flavor — will no doubt enjoy this creamy take on a classic.

If there was one flavor in Truly's Getaway Pack that I was perhaps a bit nervous to try, it was Rainforest Retreat. This is only because, in my experience, products that try to capture tropical fruit flavor profiles by mimicking dragon fruit end up tasting a bit too perfumey, sharp, or overly acidic. However, once I tasted Rainforest Retreat, I was pleasantly surprised by just how mellow the flavor was. 

This flavor was indeed fruity, but it tasted more like a whisper of fruit instead of something that overwhelmed the palate. I could see some people being disappointed by how mellow the flavor is, but I appreciated the softness and felt that it was appropriate for a tropical-themed drink. Notes of dragon fruit definitely shined through in this one, and I didn't think that they were too acidic, nor did they teeter into the unpleasant perfumey territory. I wasn't really picking up on watermelon notes, though I suppose the general juicy essence of watermelon was present. 

Overall, I appreciated the light and nuanced flavor that Rainforest Retreat had to offer. Though some may wish for a stronger flavor in their seltzer, this flavor is definitely a strong option for those who appreciate more subdued, La Croix-esque fruit flavors.

I was immediately intrigued upon reading the description for Truly's Mountain Pear-adise flavor, which is supposed to taste like a Bartlett pear and green apple. Pears are generally underrated, offering light but delicately sweet and refreshing flavor profile that naturally translates well into the seltzer form. Though there aren't many pear flavored hard seltzers on the market, the flavor simply makes sense, and of all the flavors in the Getaway Pack, this was the one I was most excited to try.

The good news is that I didn't hate the Mountain Pear-adise flavor, but the bad news is that it did leave me a bit disappointed. The biggest issue here is that there were few pear notes and a whole lot of apple flavor, so it sort of felt like false advertising to even include pear in the name. To be fair, notes of apple are definitely mentioned in the product's description, so I was definitely expecting some of it to come through. But this seltzer really was just apple-flavored, almost like a green apple Jolly Rancher, and though that's not a bad thing, it's not the flavor I was looking for. 

Overall, I felt that Mountain Pear-adise was a bit misleading in terms of flavor representation. Though I enjoyed the apple-forward flavor that the seltzer had to offer, I was looking forward to a light, subtly sweet pear profile that just wasn't present.

As I have a lot of experience in trying berry-flavored drinks across various brands and even in the sparkling water range, I don't think there's ever been one that I didn't enjoy. Berry is generally just an incredibly reliable seltzer flavor. Truly's Arctic Berry flavor, the newest addition to a lineup that's already pretty stacked with berry flavors, didn't disappoint. It offers a bright, berry-forward take on a hard seltzer, but it maybe felt a bit too familiar.

Let's start with the positives. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the flavor of this seltzer, and it definitely nailed the flavor it was going for. I also found this seltzer to come across as a bit stronger than the others, not in terms of alcohol but in context of flavor. More specifically, this seltzer was supposed to taste like a blend of blueberries and raspberries, and though I'm not quite sure such specific flavor nuances were able to shine through, there was no denying that this was a berry-flavored drink through and through.

Overall, I enjoyed this Arctic Berry seltzer and certainly wouldn't turn it down in the future if one was offered to me. The only issue is that this flavor feels a bit overdone, especially in Truly's lineup that already has a blueberry flavor, a raspberry flavor, and a wild berry flavor on top of that.

After sampling each flavor in Truly's Getaway Pack, I feel confident to recommend these flavors and claim that they are worth trying. Now, there are a few caveats to this recommendation. If you don't typically drink hard seltzers or Truly isn't the brand you reach for, then this pack isn't necessarily worth flocking to. However, if you enjoy a good hard seltzer from time to time (or all the time) and have enjoyed other Truly flavors in the past, then this pack is absolutely worth trying. 

Though none of the flavors in the Getaway Pack are exactly groundbreaking, I think the comforting familiarity is useful as it can easily convince anyone to veer away from usual choices and try something fairly new. If there's one standout in this pack, it's the Tropic Like It's Hot flavor. It offered a familiar fruity pineapple essence, but with a creamy vanilla undertone that worked really well. The Moutain Pear-adise and Arctic Berry flavors were perhaps the weakest, but that's only because the pear label lacked a dominant pear flavor, and the berry version was a little too similar to other berry-flavored hard seltzers on the market.

Ultimately, I generally enjoyed all of the flavors in Truly's Getaway Pack. Since this pack is the same price as other Truly 12-packs and can be found at (mostly) same locations, it's a no-brainer to give this limited-release, vacation-themed flavors a go.