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It wasn’t that long ago that ordering a drink didn’t involve much thought. You’d sidle up to the bar and pick whatever swill fit your mood. Thankfully, Jagermeister and its ilk aren’t your drink of choice anymore. The sustainable trend has moved from the gardens to the distillery. Libations have turned gourmet. You can sip craft beers and organic wines. Now, you can add “green” liquors to the mix.
While there are a number of organic spirits on the market, not all organic libations are created equal. For many brands, it’s just a marketing ploy to attract consumers who want to live a healthier lifestyle, even at the bar. Still a few exceptional organic spirits do exist. GLR chose three libations that offered great taste as well as truly organic ingredients.
Juniper Green Gin
Juniper Green Gin is no fad. It is made by the only distillery that still makes and bottles gin in London by a family that has been making the liquor for centuries, and their shift to organic ingredients seems to have largely been done to ensure the quality of the product.The spirit is made of four USDA certified organic ingredients—juniper, coriander, angelica and savory. The combination of berries and herbs creates an intriguing and complex yet smooth taste, with a classic gin scent on the nose. The coriander flavor isn’t too strong, so don’t feel as if you’re swilling cilantro. Mix it with tonic water and you’ll have a modern take on a classic cocktail.
360 Vodka
Most of the eco-friendly spirits are clear. One benefit of this is that, unless you’re Russian, to be great, vodka doesn’t have to be particularly complex, just smooth. 360 Vodka fits that bill. It’s a smooth and tasty spirit that easily competes with other premium vodkas. One should have no qualms about sipping this one in martini form. And whereas other eco-friendly spirits focus on using organic ingredients, 360 focuses on the real environmental impacts caused by liquor making, by using bottles made from recycled content, and severely limiting the toxic emissions caused by the distilling process.
Benromach Organic Special Edition Whisky
This is the first certified organic single malt whiskey. It uses organic ingredients and is stored in casks from sustainably managed forests. It has notes of toffee, oak, and fruits, and is grounded in a barley taste. Whiskey reviewers are fairly reactionary when it comes to something that might be regarded as a gimmick, and while this single malt has received mixed reviews, some of the negative opinions are really just reactions to what is seen as a gimmick, since Scottish whiskey making is already fairly green.
—David Dames