Not All THC Beverages Are Created Equal:

5 Keys to Quality You Should Know

When I started hightail, my mission was simple: create a better-for-you beverage you could trust, enjoy, and feel good about. But as I dug into the world of non-alcoholic beverages and THC drinks, I discovered something important: quality in this space varies widely.

Over the past sixteen months, I’ve researched, tested, and talked to expert producers, scientists, advisors, and most importantly, customers. From that work, I’ve identified five keys to quality that separate truly premium THC beverages from the rest. Whether you’re seeking a sophisticated premium wine alternative, a mindful nightcap, or a fun social sip, these are the standards you should look for.

1. Ingredients That Work With Your Body

Emulsion

A high-quality emulsion ensures the THC is bioavailable — meaning your body can absorb and feel it quickly and consistently. Some drinks use distillate or a cheaper water-soluble material to include THC, which reduces stability and does not deliver the early onset effect nor consistency you'd seek from your go-to beverage.

At hightail, we use industry-best THC and CBG emulsions from market leader Vertosa, so you can trust a consistent, reliable effect from can to can.  With a rapid onset of 8 to 15 minutes and a gentle fade in about an hour, hightail leaves you in control to cool it down or turn up with more. You do you.

Unlike wine and spirits, minor cannabinoids are star players in the THC beverage space. If you’re looking for a specific effect, restful sleep, energized socializing, or quiet creativity, minor cannabinoids are what make it happen. We scoured the earth for the effect that most credibly mimicked the uplifting social buzz of alcohol without the hangover, and CBG stole the show.

Ingredients

Despite claiming the mantle of “better-for-you,” a lot of drinks are full of sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors, and preservatives. Hightail’s take? If you can’t pronounce it, ask why it’s in there. 

Hightail delivers no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives and just 60 calories for a feel good sip you can feel good about.

2. Can Liners That Protect the Liquid

It’s not the most glamorous part of the process, but can liners matter — A LOT. Without liners designed specifically for THC emulsions, the cannabinoids can bind to the metal in a process called scalping or leaching, which means some drinks that claim to contain 5 or 10mg of THC are in fact serving you much less.

Is investing in the right can liners more expensive? Yes, but it’s non-negotiable for a quality product to deliver exactly what they are marketing. Hightail is the brand you can trust to never cut corners.

3. An Experienced Manufacturer

Even the best recipe can fail in the wrong hands. If a manufacturer isn’t experienced with THC beverages, scalping can happen during mixing, meaning the THC never even makes it into the can at the intended dose.

We selected a manufacturer with YEARS under their belt, producing best-in-class hemp-THC beverages, edibles, and alternative formats like shots. They are also among a very small subset who has passed an FDA audit.

4. Rigorous Testing

Quality means accountability. Every batch should be verified by a third-party lab for potency, consistency, and shelf stability. This is how you can be sure your “5mg” is actually 5mg, and that it will still be 5mg months later.

Always check the Certificate of Analysis (COA). Ours are available to you anytime on our website.

5. Flavor Worth Sipping

At the end of the day, drinks should actually be delicious. A lot of current offerings are sparkling waters with a little artificial flavor or sugar dropped in. That will never be hightail.

To truly serve as an alcohol replacement or complement, the best THC beverages will deliver distinctive, layered, and delicious taste that you’d reach for every time, even if it didn’t include THC.

Hightail put in the work to develop completely unique flavors to define this new THC beverage category. Not a soda or a seltzer. Not a cocktail or mocktail. A delicious, indulgent, eminently sippable hightail.

The Hightail Standard

At hightail, we lead the pack on all five quality markers. We believe a premium THC beverage should taste incredible, deliver consistently, and be crafted to earn your trust every time you sip.

If you’re curious about trying a non-alcoholic, better-for-you premium wine alternative for your next night out, gathering with friends, or relaxing evening in, start with the five keys to quality.

Explore Hightail’s premium low-dose THC beverages and sip in some fun — your taste buds will thank you (as will your head the next morning).