The 7 Best Small-Batch Spirits For This Summer
There is something meditative about measuring out a spirit, rattling your cocktail shaker, stirring your mixture, and pouring it into your latest vintage glassware find over fresh butterfly-shaped ice cubes. Like many large-scale production industries, energy used in the making, packaging, and shipping of spirits can lead to more waste. But sustainable living doesn’t mean you have to surrender your daydreams of running away to become a professional Aperol spritz-sipper on the Italian coast. Quite the opposite. Buying spirits from local purveyors that are made in smaller batches can return the practice of distilling back to its very natural roots. There are loads of distilleries and spirits brands that are going above and beyond in their sustainable production methods, paving the future for the food and beverage industry as a whole.
1. Madre Mezcal
Madre Mezcal is made in Oaxaca using locally sourced ingredients that celebrate the natural environment. Originally made and distributed in reused plastic bottles moved throughout Oaxaca, Madre Mezcal has grown into a full-scale production, working with Oaxacan Mezcalores (local suppliers) who hand-make mezcal guided by family recipes. Each Madre Mezcal expression is inspired by their Mezcalores’ recipes.
2. Astral Tequila
Astral Tequila Blanco is a pure tequila made with 100% Blue Weber Agave and is traditionally processed using a tahona, a stone wheel, which crushes the juices from the agave fibers. Astral also upcycles their distillation waste by partnering with Green Lopp to turn the used fibers into adobe bricks.
This susty vodka brand makes small-batch vodka using local ingredients in a distillery that is run on bioenergy. Koskenkorva is working under a zero-waste model by utilizing 100% of all barley grain needed in the distilling process, and they have reached a 99% re-utilization rate as well as decreased their CO2 emissions by 50%. They are continuing to work toward becoming an entirely carbon-neutral distillery by 2025.
Made in Vermont, Caledonia Spirits makes low-waste and low-impact gin and vodka using pollinator-friendly botanicals. Founded by a distiller and a beekeeper, this brand prioritizes protecting and preserving bee populations in the Northeast throughout their production of delicious spirits. They make their spirits using raw honey from their local supply of bees and utilize honey bee-foraged botanicals to make signature flavors.
Based out of Duluth, Minnesota, Vikre makes a variety of spirits and strives for a zero-waste model wherever possible. The largest source of waste in distillation comes from the leftover spent grain and natural material. Vikre sends their wasted grain to be used as animal feed or to organizations creating biogas, and they compost whatever is leftover. Additionally, they have incorporated “close the loop” programs to encourage customers to return used bottles to be reused in production.
This vermouth and amaro aperitif brand makes aperitifs in small batches in California but can also be found all over the country. They utilize local botanicals, herbs, and wines to create a sweet sipping experience. You can also use Lo-Fi as an ingredient for your next fav cocktail!
This queer-owned gin brand makes drinks inspired by the natural environment of Arizona. Suncliffe Gin is made with native and local juniper as well as other wild-foraged botanicals. They distill their product in copper stills through non-chill methods that help eliminate excess energy use.