Spy Wine Cooler, the number one wine cooler in south-East Asia? Beer in South-East Asia can get bloody boring, even when it is the beer stuff, like Beer Lao, or Cambodia Beer,
On the flip side you then have the strong stuff like Bai Jiu, local whisky, cheap vodka, leaving other options few and far between, although Soju have since jumped in to fill the “middle ground” void.
In recent years Alcopops, or soft-drinks for adults have started to hit the scene though, with chief among these being Spy Wine Cooler, at least in Thailand and Cambodia.
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Alcopops in South East Asia
Me and Alcopops as we call them in the UK go way back, with me first trying a Hooch and WKD back in 1996. Kids nowadays will never have to go through drinking Super Tennents, White Lightning, or worse still MD 20/20
A more recent addition to the local scene, they have best been encapsulated by great drinks such as the colored Tanduay Ice (article to follow….) range in the Philippines, as well as Bacardi Breezier knock-off Rio Drink in China.
And now in Thailand and Cambodia Spy Wine Cooler not only lead the charge, but claim to have been the leading “ready to drink” brand in the region.
The History of Spy Wine Cooler
Apparently the company was founded in 1986 with the intention of bringing “wine culture” to Thailand. One can only imagine that in these crazy early days they were thinking of a fine Bordeaux served with Camembert, rather than a drink aimed at 15 year old girls. With Spy Wine Cooler it is the later what they got.
Initially their drinks were indeed wine based, as their red varietal and my stained shirt can confirm, but 37 years later they have since branched into a whole range of other products and flavors, with more of an impetus on cocktails rather that wine.
In fact they even have sugar free versions, although I have been careful to never let them pass by my mouth.
I will though go the old fashioned way and try every Spy Wine Cooler, for journalistic purposes you understand.
What does EVERY Spy Wine cooler taste like?
Spy Wine Cooler Red
This reminds me greatly of Tanduay Ice in that drinks are named after colors rather than flavors. You can tell right away that this is derived from red wine, which I guess is the reason why it is still the signature drink. Sweet and nice, but stains like hell.
Spy Kamikaze blue line
A blue drink although it has ingredients, rather than just being a blue drink. I guess it is supposed to taste like the cocktail kamikaze, although I personally did not get it. Certainly one of the more sweet in the Spy range.
Spy Classic Wine Cooler
Another red concoction that tastes much more like red wine than the others. Being called classic I will assume this might well be one of their first bites at the market.
Butterfly Kiss flavoured Spy Wine Cooler.
With such a cool name how could I resist this cocktail? Actually it was a bit of letdown being far too sweet, although I di get the point of some berries in there!
Maitai strawberry spy.
I love the Maitai cocktail, so this was one I was looking forward to try. Once again it actually had very little resemblance to the cocktail itself, but still ranks as one of my favorite in the Spy range, due to its suit punch like flavor.
Spy Full Moon
The one coconut based Spy Wine Cooler, not good, nor bad, but middle of the road when compared to the others.
Spy Blue Wine Cooler
Ah just like Tanduay Ice, no favors, just colors! So did Spy wine blue taste blue? Compared with its Filipino cousin, I would say not, but rather it tasted dark blue if anything.
And as fat as I know, or at least as far as I` have seen these are all the Spy Wine Cooler flavors that have been released, at least since I started to call South-East Asia home in Covid plagued 2020 – although this is an article I do hope to be able to get the chance to regularly update.
And that is the overall skinny on Spy Wine Cooler, the number one wine cooler in Southeast Asai for almost 40 years, something we know because they told us, and if we have learned anything it is that corporations never, ever lie to consumers…..