High Noon Vs White Claw: Who Makes The Better Canned Tequila Cocktail?

In the showdown between hard seltzer industry leaders, everyone's a winner ... at least from the consumer side (hard seltzer rules). But, woe to the brands, only one can come out on top, and in Tasting Table's ranking of 14 popular canned tequila drink brands, we ranked White Claw above High Noon. For both of these fizzy bad boys, a carbonated mouthfeel keeps it light and crushable, quantity-wise, and happily, both brands come at a comparable price point. At a Target in Chicago, an eight-pack of White Claw Tequila Smash runs for $18.99, and an eight-pack of High Noon tequila seltzers costs $19.99. However, the price, 5% ABV, and base spirit are about where the similarities end.

High Noon Tequila Seltzers come in four flavors: grapefruit, lime, blood orange, and prickly pear. As we mentioned in our review, this quartet definitely gets the job done, carrying the torch of the reliable, classic High Noon flavors. But, that's about all we could say. The taste was relatively one-note, and just a touch too sweet, leaving us not overwhelmed or underwhelmed but simply "whelmed." Although, the tequila grapefruit flavor makes a decent paloma dupe.

White Claw Tequila Smash is also available in four flavors: pineapple passionfruit, mango tamarind, lime prickly pear, and strawberry guava. Where White Claw shines over the competition is its flavor duality. By fusing classic White Claw flavors together, this canned bevy brings impressive sophistication and dimensionality that doesn't compromise RTD convenience for the ease of foregoing a cocktail shaker.

The pineapple passionfruit was our favorite, marrying grilled pineapple tones with grassy tequila and naturally sweet-citrusy passionfruit. We also appreciate that White Claw Tequila Smash offers range with its other flavor offerings, suiting myriad taste preferences. The uniquely sour-savory mango tamarind flavor isn't a taste that competitor seltzer brands are carrying.

The official White Claw website calls its Tequila Smashes "a tequila drink that celebrates the best parts of tequila" — a sentiment enthusiastically echoed by customer reviews. "Not too strong of a tequila taste. If you like tequila and White Claws then you will like these Tequila Smash White Claws," writes one fan. Elsewhere online, another agrees, writing in a Target review, "This is my favorite White Claw product especially as a fan of tequila and seltzers separately." This versatility could even appeal to non-seltzer fans, broadening the scope of the target consumer-base to tequila-lovers who don't normally drink seltzers.

Befitting the brand's flagship hard seltzers, White Claw Tequila Smash is refreshing, crisp, light, and well-balanced. Its dimensional and not-too-sweet flavors soften the harshness of the tequila for a more accessible sipping experience, but without compromising the tequila taste. On the palette, these more-than-utilitarian sippers are fruit-forward with a vegetal back end, pleasantly absent of the artificial taste (or, perhaps worse, boringness) of which many canned RTDs are guilty.