Coca-Cola is the defining flavour of cola to many so it’s hard to imagine what an ‘old style’ cola tastes like. I’m pretty sure I don’t even know what kola nut tastes like aside from it being bitter. Nonetheless, this is Bickford’s Old Style Original Kola.

The soft drink was a transparent brown colour with a moderate carbonation and sweetly acidic nose. Served chilled, there’s a sweet vanilla flavour ahead of a pronounced acidity developing in the body that persists throughout the sip, leaving a sweetly acidic finish with notes of cinnamon. Compared to Cola-Cola or Pepsi, it lacked the refreshing crispness or slightly sharp flavour and the overall flavour was less intense, tasting a little watered-down. Overall, the cola flavour reminds one of cola flavoured candy rather than cola beverages.

This Bickford’s Old Style Original Kola contained 330 ml. It was bottled in Australia and gifted by family visiting Adelaide, Australia in 2017.