Aldi always sells party mix under the “Clancy’s” brand moniker, but it’s usually only original and cheddar. I do not like the cheddar, which features all the party bits covered in a dusting of fake-tasting cheese powder. No thanks. I do like the traditional, and actually hadn’t had it in a while, when I saw that Aldi was offering a “bold” version as a special buy. Craving a salty snack, I grabbed a bag.
And what can you really say about it? I assume “bold” means “traditional” party mix, but with more salt. Or maybe there are just more spices…I can’t really say for sure what makes this “bold“, since the basic taste is very similar to the traditional version. All I know is, my mouth burns after a couple bites of the stuff–but it’s not like a spicy burn, but a burn more akin to when you eat too much salty stuff, hence my reasoning that there‘s probably extra salty seasoning (rhyme intended).
The one thing that Clancy’s gets right, is there seems to be an even distribution of all the individual pieces, at least in relation to their size. This doesn’t mean you’re going to get just as many rye chips as cereal pieces…that would be ridiculous. It just means that they don’t skimp on anything, or put too many of one type of item in there. That might sound like a common sense statement, but most party mixes that I’ve tried seriously overload on the pretzel bits, which are pretty much dry and tasteless; get too many of them in there, and it’s like you’re eating sandpaper. I’ve downed more than half the bag in about three sittings, and the distribution has been pretty even. Sure, you get a lot of cereal pieces, but that’s to be expected…it’s a cereal mix, for God’s sake. But there’s not an overwhelming amount of anything versus another–even the rye chips (my favorite) are in abundance.
Basically, what you get is what you’re expecting to get from a product labeling itself as “bold“: A party mix with some extra kick. At $2.29 for a 15 oz. bag, there’s quite a lot of snack in here for a pretty minuscule price, so there’s also value to be had. It’s nothing spectacular, and it’s not out of the ordinary, but if you’re just looking for a cheap way to entertain some guests, or a salty snack to satisfy your savory tooth, it’ll get the job done.
Overall: 7/10. What you’re expecting to get is what you get: A party mix with some extra “kick”. I’m not sure if said kick results from different spices, or if it’s just some extra salt, but either way, it delivers. The usual suspects are here, from the standard cereal bits, to rye chips, pretzels, and little breadstick-looking things, so there’s nothing unique or fancy on display, but the distribution is even (unlike many similar mixes, which tend to overload on the boring, drab pretzels) and it tastes good. There’s also some value, at $2.29 for a 15 oz. bag. If you’re craving something salty, as I was, this will definitely satisfy.
