We Got An Early Taste of GHOST’s Yoo-Hoo Protein Drink

It’s true, folks: GHOST makes more than just energy drinks. Like many of their contemporary energy drink brands, GHOST started out in the functional supplement space. While the brand still produces supplements, the energy drink side of the company shot past their supplement origins quite quickly. It looks like GHOST is hoping to draw their massive energy drink audience back into the functional space by using strategies that have worked gangbusters for the energy drink line.

Videos by Sporked

Strategy #1? Licensed nostalgic flavors. Flavors like Welch’s Grape and Swedish Fish worked wonders for GHOST’s energy drink business. (GHOST actually sold nostalgic and licensed protein shakes like Cereal Milk and Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookie for a time; that subline was discontinued for unknown reasons.) Today, I have my hands on a test can of the first flavor in GHOST’s new protein drink subline: Yoo-hoo Chocolate… Drink. It’s fitting that GHOST’s new protein line is described as a drink rather than a shake or milk, since the flavor’s iconic inspiration is as well. Let’s see whether this classic chocolate flavor works with an added bulking boost.

GHOST Yoo-hoo Chocolate Protein Drink Review

New GHOST Protein Drink!

Pros: GHOST absolutely nailed the Yoo-hoo concept with this lactose-free, ultrafiltered skim milk-based drink. Yoo-hoo is such an obvious choice for a protein drink collaboration; I’m shocked it took this long for someone to license it.

The combination of artificial sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame potassium) plus 2 grams of natural sugar delivers the sweetness you’d expect from a chilled glass bottle of the real stuff. All the other 25-gram protein drinks need to watch out; GHOST has a winner on their hands here.

Cons: The artificial sweeteners do have that nearly-unavoidable aftertaste. If such a thing existed, this is what Diet Yoo-hoo would taste like. I’ve been drinking the original Yoo-hoo for, conservatively speaking, 100% of my life. This protein drink hits my tongue like a distinctly artificial version of classic Yoo-hoo… which it is.

Verdict: And for good reason! A 12oz can of Yoo-hoo contains 36 grams of sugar; this protein-packed version contains just 2 grams of sugar. There’s basically no room for the original Yoo-hoo in a gym rat’s diet, and this would absolutely scratch the itch if nothing else was an option.

Credit: Griffin Parker / GHOST

Rating:

9/10

Sporks