Arctic Sol 739mL Bottle ($1.99)
I purchased this water at a rest stop somewhere along I-95 in Virginia. I’d been eating sunflower seeds throughout a road trip and ran out of the water I had brought along faster than anticipated.
The bottle, despite being of inferior plastic material, is pleasantly clear and large. Were there any visual imperfections in the water, spotting them would be rather simple. Many contaminants are colorless, however; a test for odor must follow. The musk this bottle emanated was strongly reminiscent of old chicken skin.
I asked the cashier to take a waft in order to confirm but she insisted it was outside of her professional responsibility. I personally believe familiarity with the product to be the duty of any water purveyor but I did not wish to challenge her threat of legal ramifications.
Perhaps the real reason she resisted though was her knowledge of the water’s quality, or lack thereof. I took a gulp after she resisted the bottle, and noticed distinct after-tastes of salt and rust. The water was curiously smoky tasting despite its transparent appearance. I resisted gagging as I was indoors but had I been in the privacy of my own home, I would have allowed myself to dry heave until whatever I had just consumed left my body.
The Water Connoisseur gives this bottle 0.5 Crystal Goblets out of 5.
This water is not recommended for human consumption. Alternate recommended uses include liquid density testing for Cuban refugee boat building materials, mixing with solid waste in order to soften it for the sink’s garbage disposal, and cement mix.
