Tanky vs iKegger vs The Keggy | Side-By-Side Comparison
Setting the record straight
One of our manufacturing partners designed a keg tap system, and asked us to distribute it. Here's why we said no.
The Keggy and Tanky have both launched portable keg systems this year. Both are built around a tap and regulator designed by a manufacturer we use to produce some of the iKegger 2.0 components. The manufacturer offered us exclusive worldwide distribution of their design but it had a bunch of shortcomings that we'd designed the iKegger 2.0 to solve. So we declined. Here's the honest comparison between them.
Why this comparison is different
This isn't a rival's product we picked apart from the outside. It's a product one of our own manufacturers designed and brought to us first.
iKegger 2.0 had already been on the market for a couple of years, designed in-house using nine years of experience and feedback from over 40,000 customers on previous models. The components for it are manufactured for us by a number of companies, one of which separately developed this new tap and regulator system, and gave us first option for exclusive global distribution before taking it anywhere else. We tested it thoroughly — the tap, the regulator, the full pour mechanics — and identified the same fundamental limitations you'll read about below. We declined the offer.
That system didn't disappear. It's now sold under The Keggy brand, under the Tanky brand, and listed unbranded on other online marketplaces. The mechanical limitations are identical across all of them, because it's the same hardware. We kept selling iKegger 2.0 — the system we'd already built to solve exactly these problems.
Gas systems compared
CO₂
Beer, soda, carbonation
Nitrogen
Nitro coffee, cascading stouts
Argon
Wine preservation
Nitrous oxide
Creamy cocktail foams & cold brew
iKegger 2.0 supports all four gas types above — CO₂, Nitrogen, Argon and Nitrous Oxide (N₂O). The Keggy and Tanky are both CO₂ only — because that's what their shared regulator design is built for. This matters enormously when both claim to pour creamy espresso martinis and nitro-style drinks, as you'll see below.
Tanky & The Keggy Cocktail Claims
Both Tanky & The Keggy make false claims about CO₂ producing nitro-style results
Tanky's espresso martini recipe claims CO₂ "builds the signature foam." It absolutely doesn't.
Tanky's published espresso martini recipe instructs customers to "gas hard with CO₂" and states: "The pressure builds the signature foam as it pours."
This is factually incorrect. The "signature foam" — the dense, lasting crema on an espresso martini — is only produced by shaking a small amount of cocktail mix hard with a lot of ice (so the nitrogen in the air and coffee oils produce a dense foam), or infusing a bulk amount of cocktail mix with nitrogen or nitrous oxide gas (at double the maximum pressure that the Tanky or Keggy systems are capable of), then dispensing through a tap especially designed to slow the flow and dislodge the infused gas as it pours. Which their tap isn't.
CO₂ gas dissolves into liquid and produces carbonation: fizz, not foam. A CO₂-pressurised espresso martini poured from a tap produces bubbles that collapse within seconds, and if "gassed hard" will be fizzy with the sour taste of carbonic acid (like sodawater). They will not have the smooth layer of long-lasting dense foam and creamy mouth-feel that makes a bar-quality espresso martini.
Both Tanky and The Keggy have also published heavily cut Instagram reels showing an espresso martini pour from their kegs. To an experienced eye it's clearly CO₂ fizz — bubbles that collapse in seconds — not the dense nitrogen foam a real espresso martini crema produces. The multiple cuts during the pour are consistent with a pour that can't be shown in one unedited take.
iKegger produces genuine nitro espresso martinis using N₂O or N₂ — hours of uncut footage across our platforms show the cascading foam, the layered crema, and the glass-to-glass consistency that a CO₂ system simply cannot produce.
Why CO₂ cannot replicate nitrogen or N₂O results — the science
CO₂ is highly soluble in liquid. When used under pressure it dissolves into your drink, creating carbonation — bubbles that release CO₂ gas when you pour. That's why CO₂ makes drinks fizzy.
Nitrogen and Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) have very low solubility in liquid. When forced into a drink under pressure, they create millions of tiny, stable bubbles — the cascading effect when you pour a Guinness, or the dense persistent foam on a nitro espresso martini. These bubbles don't dissolve and release back as gas in seconds. They hold. That's the "crema." You cannot get that result from CO₂. The chemistry prevents it.
Both The Keggy and Tanky are CO₂-only systems. Claiming CO₂ "builds the signature foam" of a nitro espresso martini is like claiming fizzy water tastes the same as creamy milk — they're fundamentally different gases doing fundamentally different things to liquid.
Temperature performance — our actual test data
We ran a controlled side-by-side test: identical starting conditions, identical environment, only the keg construction differed.
Fill volume
4.5 L water
Starting temp
5.5°C
Ambient / duration
30°C, 7 hours
iKegger 5L insulated Keg
+2°C
5.5°C → 7.5°C over 7 hours. Double-walled construction holds the cold.
iKegger 5L Uninsulated keg
+15°C
5.5°C → 20.5°C over 7 hours. Single-wall keg.
The Keggy says: "Keeps drinks ice-cold for days" — no specs, no data, no methodology
Our own published timelapse testing shows a well-insulated double-walled keg rises just 2°C over 7 hours in 30°C heat. A single-wall uninsulated keg — the same construction as most generic mini kegs — rises 15°C in the same conditions. "Ice-cold for days" with no insulation data behind it is a tagline. Temperature probe data is evidence.
Full timelapse footage available on iKegger's channels
Fair claim
Tanky says: drinks stay cold for "several hours, depending on how cold the drink starts and how warm the day is... designed for same-day or weekend sessions"
Honest and accurate — consistent with what our testing shows. Tanky doesn't oversell its insulation. Their temperature claims hold up. It's their gas and nitro claims that don't.
The tap — what we found when our manufacturer offered it to us
This tap and regulator design is shared by The Keggy and Tanky — the hardware our manufacturer brought to us before anyone else. The limitations are identical across both brands because it's the same hardware.
The shared tap design — brumby-style, rear-sealing, no flow control
A brumby-style tap seals at the rear when closed. Liquid drains from inside the tap body and the interior is left exposed to air between pours. Sugars and sediment dry inside, bacteria can grow, and the tap sticks closed — often needing full disassembly to operate again. There is no flow control whatsoever. The only way to slow the pour is to reduce gas pressure. Reduce it enough for control and the drink left in the keg goes flat. This was another of the primary reasons we turned down exclusive distribution.
iKegger 2.0 tap — patented internal push-button with variable flow control
✓The iKegger tap sits inside the keg. Liquid never drains, never contacts air, stays chilled and sealed between pours. The patented push-button gives variable flow control — press lightly for a trickle to top a proper martini glass, press harder for pub-speed pints. Keg pressure stays constant throughout, maintaining perfect carbonation or nitrogen infusion whatever your pour speed.
Availability — what they're actually selling right now
The Keggy — all products are presale, larger size months out
The Keggy's 2L and 5L are listed for presale with delivery around a month out. The 10L isn't expected until end of 2026. Their terms acknowledge "many reasons for possible delays" on "expected" dates. They note customers "should not" have to pay import duties — not that they won't. iKegger is in stock now across our warehouses in Australia, New Zealand and Vienna, shipping worldwide.
Fair practice
Tanky — in stock, genuine reviews, honest delivery windows
Tanky has stock, quotes realistic delivery windows of around a week, and has 74 verified Judge.me reviews from real customers who received products. They're a legitimate smaller competitor using the same hardware we declined — and their stock, delivery and review practices are all above board. It's specifically their gas chemistry and nitro claims that are the problem.
The Keggy reviews — studio photos of products not yet shipped
The handful of customer reviews on The Keggy's site show studio-quality photographs with filenames consistent with AI-generated imagery, of products not yet dispatched. These cannot be genuine reviews from people who received and used the product. iKegger has over 8,000 verified reviews (Stamped.io and Judge.me) from more than 40,000 customers who received, used and photographed their actual products.
The Keggy — hardcoded fake urgency counter
The Keggy shows "selling fast — 92% of next drop sold already" under their add-to-cart button. This is hardcoded static text — not a live inventory count. It reads the same regardless of how many units have actually sold.
Other claims vs reality
The Keggy says: "Pour anything, anywhere, anytime" — implying full nitrogen capability
Their own compatibility page confirms 16g threaded CO₂ cartridges only. CO₂ cannot replicate a nitrogen pour — nitrogen's low liquid solubility creates the cascading head and persistent crema. CO₂ dissolves readily and will carbonate your drink. The physics don't bend to the marketing.
The Keggy says: "Lifetime warranty"
From a brand launched in May 2026 that hasn't shipped a product yet. iKegger has honoured warranties for 10 years across three continents. A warranty is only as good as the company's track record of honouring it.
Head to head — all three
| iKegger 2.0 since 2015 | The Keggy | Tanky | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product origin | ✓Designed in-house — 10 years R&D original | Designed by a factory, not users. | Designed by a factory, not users. |
| Regulator | ✓CO₂ and nitrogen capable safer | ✗CO₂ only — markets N₂ use concern | CO₂ only — marketed honestly |
| Gas support | ✓CO₂, N₂, Argon, N₂O | ✗CO₂ only (claims N₂) misleading | CO₂ only (claims only CO₂) |
| Espresso martini foam | ✓Genuine N₂O/N₂ crema — hours of uncut footage | ✗CO₂ fizz only — cut and AI videos misleading | ✗Claims CO₂ "builds signature foam" — it doesn't false claim |
| Insulation | ✓Double-walled — +2°C over 7 hrs at 30°C tested | ✗"Ice-cold for days" — no data unverified | Single-wall — +15°C over 7 hrs (honestly stated) |
| Tap design | ✓Internal, sealed, never drains patented | ✗Brumby-style — drains, exposes to air |
✗ Brumby-style — drains, exposes to air |
| Flow control | ✓Patented push-button — from trickle to pub speed | ✗None — drop pressure or go flat problem | ✗None — drop pressure or go flat |
| Pour proof | ✓Hours of uncut footage — beer, nitro, cocktails | ✗Cut videos only, no uncut pour exists online | ✗Heavily cut Instagram reel — CO₂ fizz not foam |
| Drink types | ✓Beer, cocktails, nitro coffee, wine, cold brew, soda | Claims: Any drink. Actually only soda and sparkling style drinks. | Soda and sparkling style drinks reliably |
| Keg sizes | ✓2, 4, 5L insulated + 2, 4, 5, 10L uninsulated — in stock | 2L & 5L presale (~1 month), 10L end of 2026 presale | 2L in stock, 5L listed but unavailable |
| Availability | ✓In stock — AU, NZ, EU, ships worldwide | ✗Presale only, no confirmed dispatch risk | ✓In stock, AU & NZ, ~1 week delivery |
| Reviews | ✓8,000+ verified (Stamped.io + Judge.me), 40,000+ customers | ✗AI-image reviews of unshipped product suspicious | ✓74 genuine Judge.me reviews |
| Marketing honesty | ✓Evidence published for every claim | ✗Multiple false claims, fake urgency counter concern | ✗False CO₂ foam claim. misleading |
| Gas bottle options | ✓Bulbs + SodaStream, M10, M11, Type 30 refillable | 16g CO₂ bulbs only | 16g CO₂ bulbs only |
| Years in market | ✓10+ years, founded 2015 | Launched May 2026, nothing shipped yet | Established and fulfilling orders |
The numbers behind iKegger
10+
Years in market since 2015
40,000+
Customers worldwide
8,000+
Verified product reviews
98%
Customer recommendation rate
+2°C
Temp rise over 7 hrs at 30°C (insulated)
4
Gases — CO₂, N₂, Argon, N₂O
We had first option on this exact system. We turned it down — and here's the proof in the details.
Our manufacturer designed this tap and regulator system and brought it to us before anyone else. We already had years of field testing behind iKegger 2.0, and the gaps were obvious immediately. We declined, and kept refining the system we'd built ourselves — one that supports four gas types, produces genuine nitro foam, never drains, and gives full flow control. In stock now, shipping worldwide.
Shop iKegger 2.0All claims based on publicly available information from thekeggy.com and tanky.com.au as of July 2026. Tanky's espresso martini recipe quote ("The pressure builds the signature foam as it pours") and how-to instructions ("Tilt the glass at 45°") are sourced from tanky.com.au/recipes/espresso-martini and tanky.com.au/tanky-101 respectively. Tanky's FAQ dairy-in-glass instruction is sourced from tanky.com.au/help. The shared regulator design used by The Keggy and Tanky is a standard CO₂-rated regulator. iKegger's regulator is engineered to also handle nitrogen (over double CO₂ bulb pressure by industry standard figures), Argon and N₂O. Temperature test reflects iKegger's own controlled testing: 4.5L water at 5.5°C, 30°C ambient, 7 hours, comparing iKegger's insulated 5L keg against an uninsulated single-wall keg. The Keggy's 2L and 5L are listed for presale with delivery around a month out; 10L listed for end of 2026 delivery, per thekeggy.com as of July 2026. Review counts reflect verified reviews on Stamped.io and Judge.me as of July 2026. Observations regarding pour videos on Instagram reflect the assessment of experienced nitro drink practitioners. iKegger welcomes factual corrections to any claim on this page.