6 Distilleries Doing it Differently
On International Earth Day, we want to highlight some of our independent drinks customers who are doing it differently. These sustainable distilleries are leading the way in new practices that are better for our planet and we’re proud to play just a small part in this.
1. Avallen Spirits
Having launched in May 2019 from a basement in London, Avallen has put sustainability at the core of their company, a traditional cider brandy. In fact, they were one of our very first customers for bottle packaging. Their apples come from a 20km radius from the distillery and their labels are even made from apples! They use 70-95% less water than in typical spirit production, work closely with the farmers to reuse any apple waste, use natural dyes in their branding, joined 1% for the Planet and so much more! For anyone interested in discovering more, we highly recommend reading their newly published “Be More Report” – it’s an educative and insightful read.
2. Two Drifters
Two Drifters Distillery is a British rum and the world’s first rum distillery to have a carbon negative footprint. They make delicious rum from 100% molasses which goes to agricultural feed after use. They have many sustainable practices at the distillery which help to reduce or eliminate their CO2 emissions, but they have also factored in the CO2 emissions associated with their processes outside the distillery. They use Direct Air Capture (from Climeworks) to remove all, and more, of the emissions associated with the full life cycle of their rums e.g shipping, glass bottle production, farming etc. So, you really are helping the planet when you drink Two Drifters rum.
3. Bruichladdich
A world-renowned Scottish distillery based on the Island of Islay, Bruichladdich recently became B Corp and has a long-term vision to be more sustainable in everything they do. They are on a journey and their website is incredibly transparent about what they’re doing now, what they’re working on and targets for the future – which we love to read. Bruichladdich want to decarbonize their distillation by 2025, are investing in progressive agriculture, supporting the local community and stripping waste from their packaging supply chain.
4. Hattiers Rum
Hattiers Rum is a certified B Corp, the first British rum and only second in the world to do so. The brand source the finest ingredients from around the world, expertly blended using the purest water supply here in Devon. They have been plastic-free from day one and are working towards being net zero carbon by the end of 2021. In the meantime, they are planting their own woodland to offset their environmental impact for years to come and are passionate about pursuing purpose as well as profit.
5. Arbikie Distillery
Arbikie Distillery define their ethos in four words; authentic, sustainable, traceable and innovative. A genuine field-to-bottle operation, their spirits are made from scratch on-site using ingredients they’ve grown themselves. As a brand, they want to set new standards in the drinks industry and aim to be the first climate positive distillery in the world. Nadar (Gaelic for “nature”), their spirit brand, uses the humble pea as its base ingredient, giving it a fresh and fruity aroma and a unique approach to sustainability. This crop needs no nitrogen fertilizer while fields of peas on their farm benefits the ecosystem by pollenating insects and improving soil quality.
6. Cooper King
Cooper King Distillery was self-built by friends and family and inspired by travels to Tasmania; a brand underpinned by craftsmanship, honesty and a sense of adventure. Based near York, barley, wheat and lavender are sourced from local farms, whisky casks from a neighbouring cooperage and honey from their own beehives. They produce England's only carbon-negative gins, are one of a handful in the UK to run on 100% green energy and as a member of 1% for the Planet, donate profits to planting trees in the Yorkshire Dales. Thanks to their inspiring efforts, they have won an EU grant to continue improving their environmental strategy - so worth keeping an eye on.