Sustainability is trending! Even though the world stands to be the most ecologically-disturbed at this moment in time than ever, such news is bound to create a positive impact on industrialists, entrepreneurs and consumers in the global spirit industry. While established entrepreneurs are investing in making their manufacturing plants sustainable and introducing new lines of sustainable spirits, new-age entrepreneurs are entering the market with new spirit labels that explore unique sustainability ideas.
To enter this league, the Scotland-based Arbikie Distillery has introduced the world’s first climate-positive gin in the market.
Nàdar Gin is a collaboration between the distillery and institutes like Abertay University, James Hutton Institute, Bangor University and Trinity College Dublin as well as with partners associated with TRUE. From conception to implementation, the team behind Nàdar gin has worked for 5 years to make this sustainable gin a reality. While the gin’s base spirit is produced from peas, the spirit is distilled with Arbikie Estate-grown botanicals like lemongrass and citrus leaf which are responsible for the spirit’s fresh and fruity aroma.
Producing gin from peas is as easy as producing the spirit from other produce. The distillation process involves breaking down the peas’ starch component to ferment it into alcohol, before adding botanicals to give the spirit its character. After the first distillation process, the distillers separate the alcohol from the high-protein ‘pot ale’ which works as an excellent substitute for commercially-available animal feed. Forwarding this pot ale in the husbandry sector helps solve food security challenges in the ecosystem.
Since peas are blessed with the ability to directly source nitrogen from the air for growth development unlike other produce, the farmer’s dependence on synthetic fertilizers is drastically reduced. After the harvesting season, the crop leaves nitrogen in the soil which facilitates the healthy growth of the next crop, further reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers in the field. This encourages sustainable farming amongst pea producers.
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Each bottle of Nàdar gin has a carbon footprint of -1.54 kg CO2e, which basically means that it avoids more carbon dioxide emissions than it emits. The distillery has produced its first 1000-bottle batch, which is available for sale here. The silky smooth-textured gin is bottled at 43% ABV and is priced at £43.
Would you be interested in tasting this Pea Gin? Tell us in the comments below!
