Tennessee Shine "Big Orange Dreamsicle" Cream

I'm expecting this to be a lot like the Electric Orange cream I had a little while ago. Or will it be more like the Whipped Orange Cream I had that I was an even bigger fan of? Probably, this will be something very different. At 17% ABV, it is right in between the other two, and it may be in between them in taste, too. Obviously, I want to see a big hit!

It's not an electric orange like the other very orange cream that I had, but it's no shrinking violet. It is orange, and it wants you to know how proud it is. The aroma is almost nothing but alcohol. I know that 17% ABV would be big for a beer, but a cream is something that appears to just absorb alcohol very well. In this case, it is letting me know that there is significant alcohol awaiting me, but it doesn't say anything about the flavor. 

First sip is exactly what you may be thinking - orange cream with alcohol added. The only "dream" from this is the idea that you would be covering the alcohol with this flavoring. It's not as robust as it needs to be. I've had creams with higher ABV that have successfully hidden the alcohol, so I know it can be done, but it's not happening here. Maybe that isn't their goal. Maybe they want the alcohol to be forward to remind you why you got this in the first place. 

Subsequent sips are better at hiding the alcohol than the first was, but maybe I'm just getting used to it. The orange is more pronounced, and the cream has a vanilla bend to it that improves the whole experience immensely. It's a bit cloying with the sweetness at times, and I don't see myself going through this whole jar particularly quickly, but it's still good.

Bottom Line: Not my orange crush, but better than a lot of contenders.

3.25/5