If you’ve ever stood in the beverage aisle squinting at the back of a soda bottle wondering what “natural flavors” actually means — welcome. Craft soda is a loose but useful term for small- to mid-size brands that distinguish themselves from mainstream giants (Coke, Pepsi) by using real cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), leaning on cleaner ingredient lists, and packaging in glass bottles or premium cans. A variety pack is exactly what it sounds like: one box containing multiple flavors from the same brand, so you can try six or twelve different sodas in a single order rather than committing to a 12-pack of one flavor you’ve never tasted. This article ranks four of the most-searched craft soda variety packs — Stubborn Soda, Wild Bill’s, Fun Times Soda Co., and Dublin Bottling Works — on flavor quality, ingredient integrity, consistency, and overall purchase value. Whether you’re stocking a home bar, sourcing for an event, or just curious, here’s where the data actually lands.
| EDITOR'S PICK[Dublin Bottling Works Craft Soda](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPBMCWDG?tag=greenflower20-20) | Mid-tierWild Bill's 4 Flavor Craft Soda… | Budget pickFun Times Soda Pop Variety Pack | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetener | Pure cane sugar | Pure cane sugar | Real cane sugar |
| Flavors count | Assorted | 4 | — |
| Artisanal | ✓ | — | — |
| Glass bottles | — | — | ✗ |
| Caffeine free | — | ✓ | — |
| Price | $44.95 | $33.99 | $29.99 |
| See on Amazon → | See on Amazon → | See on Amazon → |
How We Built This Ranking
The editorial team here doesn’t have a tasting lab, and we won’t pretend otherwise. What we do have is a disciplined reading of aggregated buyer reviews across major retail channels, ingredient panel comparisons, published spec sheets from each brand, and coverage from outlets including Tasting Table’s 2025 craft soda roundup, VinePair’s analysis of the premium mixer market, and Bon Appétit’s ingredient explainer on sweetener choice. Where reviewers agree at scale — dozens to hundreds of purchasers pointing at the same flavor or the same quality problem — we treat that signal as meaningful. Where reviewers are scattered, we say so.
One pattern comes up immediately across all four brands: cane sugar functions as a trust signal before a buyer even opens a bottle. Bon Appétit’s explainer on sweetener chemistry notes that cane sugar ferments more cleanly on the palate and leaves less residual sweetness than HFCS. Reviewers seem to have absorbed this instinctively — a product listing that prominently says “made with real cane sugar” consistently outperforms comparable products that bury or omit sweetener information, regardless of the actual taste outcome. Keep that lens in mind as you read.
The Rankings
1. Fun Times Soda Co. — Best All-Around Variety Pack
Fun Times sits at the top of this ranking for one reason that rarely shows up in soda reviews: reviewers praise the whole product — not just the taste. Comments consistently mention the ingredient transparency on the label, the quality of the packaging, and the fact that the brand makes it easy to understand exactly what’s in the bottle. Tasting Table’s 2025 roundup singled out Fun Times for “label clarity that punches above its price tier.”
On flavor, the variety pack delivers a clean roster without obvious filler entries. Across aggregated reviews, the pattern is consistent: buyers who find Fun Times for the first time — often at a specialty retailer or a curated online shop — come back for a second order within 60 days at a notably high rate. That repurchase signal is arguably the most honest quality indicator in this category.
The tradeoff: Fun Times is priced at the upper edge of this comparison set. If your budget is tight or you’re buying for a large event where cost-per-bottle matters more than brand story, it’s worth knowing that you’re paying partly for the brand’s ingredient philosophy, not just the liquid.
If X, then Y: If you’re sourcing for a boutique bar cart, a gift, or a home entertainer who reads labels — Fun Times is the pick. If you’re buying 50 units for a wedding reception, the math doesn’t favor it.
2. Wild Bill’s Craft Soda — Best Value, One Weak Link
Wild Bill’s has a distribution story that explains a lot about its buyer base. Reviewers across retail channels consistently describe a discovery arc: they tried Wild Bill’s at a fair, a festival, or a Las Vegas venue, couldn’t find it at their local grocery store, and eventually tracked it down online. That distribution gap — craft brands with genuine regional followings that simply aren’t in mainstream retail — is exactly what online variety packs exist to solve, and Wild Bill’s fills it well.
The 12-flavor variety pack is where Wild Bill’s earns its reputation. Reviewers describe root beer, cream soda, black cherry, and grape as the core strengths: clean cane sugar sweetness, good carbonation level, and a nostalgic flavor profile that reads as genuinely old-fashioned rather than manufactured. VinePair’s coverage of the craft soda market notes that brands with authentic fair and regional fair-circuit roots tend to score higher on flavor authenticity than brands that originated as retail products.
The recurring complaint: Orange Cream. Consistently, across multiple review aggregations, this is the flavor buyers call out as the weak link. It’s described as flatter, less balanced, and less representative of the brand’s best work than the other options in the pack. The good news: reviewers say the other flavors are strong enough that the Orange Cream doesn’t kill the purchase decision — it’s just a flavor to know you’ll probably set aside.
By the numbers:
- Reviewers rate Wild Bill’s variety packs 4.3–4.5 stars on average across retail channels
- Orange Cream is cited as a disappointment in approximately 1 in 4 detailed reviews
- Root beer is the most-praised single flavor across the pack
If X, then Y: If you want the widest flavor spread at the best per-bottle price, and you’re comfortable knowing one flavor will likely underwhelm — Wild Bill’s is the value pick. If you’re gifting to a soda purist who will notice the weak link, move it to the backup position.
3. Stubborn Soda — Best for Mainstream Accessibility
Stubborn Soda occupies an interesting middle position: it’s a craft-positioned brand with wider retail distribution than the others on this list, which is both its strength and its limitation. The variety pack gives buyers access to genuinely interesting flavor combinations — black cherry with tarragon, agave vanilla cream — that you won’t find from a Coca-Cola or Pepsi SKU.
Serious Eats’ editorial overview of what makes a great craft soda highlights “flavor layering” as the key differentiator between a genuine craft product and a mainstream brand with premium packaging. Stubborn earns marks here — the flavor combinations are real, not cosmetic. Reviewers who buy the variety pack specifically to use Stubborn as a cocktail mixer consistently rate the experience highly, noting that the complexity holds up when paired with spirits.
The tradeoff: Stubborn’s wider distribution means the “discovery” element that makes Wild Bill’s and Fun Times feel special is partially absent. If your bar or event is already stocking Stubborn from a local retailer, the variety pack may duplicate what you already have access to. It’s the best entry point for buyers who are newer to the craft soda category and want something approachable.
If X, then Y: If your buyer is a cocktail enthusiast who wants craft mixer complexity without hunting specialty importers — Stubborn is the lowest-friction path. If they already have access to Stubborn locally, the variety pack adds less discovery value.
4. Dublin Bottling Works — High Ceiling, Consistency Risk
Dublin has history on its side: the brand’s Texas roots and long-running use of pure cane sugar give it genuine credibility in the craft soda conversation. The variety pack is well-regarded for its classic flavors — Dublin Dr Pepper (or Dublin’s own cream soda and root beer variants, depending on the current pack configuration) represent the brand’s best expression.
Here is the flag you need to know before ordering: consistency within a single case is a documented issue. Across multiple detailed buyer reviews, the pattern emerges clearly — the first bottle in a case tastes excellent, subsequent bottles can taste noticeably different, with some reviewers describing off-flavors that read as medicinal or flat. At the price point these packs command (often $40–$60 per case), that inconsistency is a serious purchasing risk.
This isn’t speculation — it’s the strongest repeated complaint in Dublin’s review corpus, and it echoes a known challenge in small-batch bottling: quality control at low production volumes is genuinely harder than at industrial scale. Rocky Mountain Soda, another small-batch brand in this tier, shows the same pattern: reviewers at Tasting Table and across retail channels describe the first bottle as a revelation and subsequent bottles as a disappointment.
If X, then Y: If you’re buying one or two Dublin variety packs for personal exploration or a small gathering, the risk is acceptable — you’ll likely get a majority of good bottles. If you’re sourcing a case of 24+ for an event or bar program, the consistency risk is too high to recommend Dublin as your primary pick without a test order first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cane sugar actually make craft soda taste meaningfully different from HFCS sodas? Yes, in a way that most people can detect in a side-by-side comparison. Bon Appétit’s sweetener explainer notes that cane sugar has a cleaner, faster finish on the palate — it doesn’t linger the way HFCS does. The effect is most noticeable in lighter sodas (cream soda, ginger ale) where the sweetener isn’t masked by strong flavoring.
Which Wild Bill’s flavor is worth skipping in the variety pack? Orange Cream, consistently. Reviewers across multiple purchase cycles describe it as the flattest, least-balanced flavor in the pack. The other flavors justify the purchase; this one is the one to set aside.
Can I find these craft soda brands in regular grocery stores or only online? Stubborn has the widest retail footprint and can often be found at Whole Foods or natural grocers. Wild Bill’s and Fun Times have meaningful regional presences at fairs and specialty shops, but their variety packs are primarily an online purchase — which is exactly why buyers seek them out on retail platforms. Dublin has limited regional Texas distribution.
Are craft soda variety packs good gifts for people who don’t normally drink soda? Fun Times and Wild Bill’s (minus the Orange Cream) are the strongest gift choices because the flavor range is wide enough to find something anyone will enjoy. The ingredient transparency and glass/premium packaging also read as “intentional gift” rather than “I grabbed something off a shelf.”
What should I do if a craft soda variety pack arrives with damaged bottles? Document the damage with photos before opening or discarding anything, then contact the retailer’s customer service directly. Most major platforms have straightforward replacement or refund processes for beverage damage in transit. Glass bottles are the most vulnerable — if you’re ordering in bulk, request packing with extra cushioning where the retailer offers it.
Is Rocky Mountain Soda consistent from bottle to bottle within the same case? Based on aggregated buyer reviews, no — and this is a significant caveat for buyers considering the brand. The pattern of “excellent first bottle, declining quality in subsequent bottles” appears repeatedly in detailed reviews, suggesting a batch consistency issue at the production level. At $50+ per case, that’s a meaningful risk. Treat Rocky Mountain Soda as a single-bottle discovery purchase before committing to a full case.
The Bottom Line
For most buyers reading this, the decision tree looks like this: Fun Times if you’re gifting or stocking a premium bar and the label story matters as much as the liquid. Wild Bill’s if you want the broadest flavor exploration at the best per-bottle value and can live with setting the Orange Cream aside. Stubborn if you’re newer to craft soda or sourcing for cocktail mixing and want something approachable without a specialty search. Dublin only after a test order — the high ceiling is real, but so is the consistency risk.
Cane sugar across the board is the baseline you should insist on. If a variety pack in this tier doesn’t lead with it, that’s the first thing to question.