Actually, the "salty note" is a signal built into the formula by the physiologists at the University of Florida who concocted the stuff originally. If you are low enough on electrolytes, your body senses the incoming as something it needs, so you either don't perceive it or it tastes good. Once you've had enough to restore the balance, your body realizes that and your salt receptors reactivate appropriately. So the standard protocol for electrolyte drinks is to drink them until they taste salty, then switch to water.