craft spirits

SINGAPORE 27 JULY 2020  ecoSPIRITS has welcomed three leading craft spirits producers to the ecoSPIRITS low carbon, low waste distribution network in Asia Pacific:  Never Never Distilling Co. in Australia, Peddlers Gin Company in China, and Brass Lion Distillery in Singapore. Through these partnerships, ecoSPIRITS will help each producer make their award-winning spirits more affordable to bars, restaurants and hotels, while eliminating 95% of the single use glass and packaging waste in their respective supply chains.

ecoSPIRITS is movement. One in which producers, distributors and venues come together to dramatically reduce waste, improve affordability, and build a sustainable future for the industry,” notes Zdenek Kastanek, ecoSPIRITS International Sales Director. ”We could not be more excited to welcome these three wonderful partners to the ecoSPIRITS network.

From August 2020, Never Never’s acclaimed Triple Juniper Gin will be available to on trade customers across Australia in the ecoSPIRITS format. In just three years, the team behind Never Never have built Australia’s highest awarded gins and swept onto the world gin stage – no small feat in the current category boom.  Winner of Double Gold at the San Francisco Spirits Awards in 2019, Never Never’s signature spirit bursts with more flavour, to create better gin. Using a three stage infusion process to build juniper intensity – Triple Juniper is perfect for gin & tonics and classic cocktails. The ecoSPIRITS partnership builds on the team’s recent momentum, which includes the February 2020 opening of their permanent brand home and distillery in McLaren Vale, South Australia.

George Georgiadis, Never Never Managing Director, notes, “We set out to push the boundaries not just of flavour but of everything we do. So it’s amazing to play a role in the incredible ecoSPIRITS waste reduction movement, which will have a lasting impact on the sustainability of our industry.”

Founded in Shanghai in 2016, Peddlers Gin Company is China’s first craft gin. Their core product is a Shanghai Gin, using premium local botanicals, such as Buddha’s Hand citrus, lotus flower, and Sichuan pepper. The product and brand is a fusion of traditional and contemporary influences. Blessed with extraordinary growth in their first three years, Peddlers Gin Company is part of a growing “Made in China” movement. Having won several big awards in China and abroad, Peddlers is living proof in that premium spirits from China can compete with the best on the world stage. The partnership with ecoSPIRITS is expected to further grow on trade volumes for Peddlers in their home market by more than 80% within the first twelve months. Peddlers Shanghai Gin will be available in ecoSPIRITS format in select cities in Mainland China from September 2020.

“We are excited to be an early partner of the ecoSPIRITS program in China, and be a part of the wider sustainability movement in the alcohol industry,” says Rio Liu, Asia Sales Director of Peddlers Gin. “Waste reduction in our supply chains is an important issue. As a Chinese craft gin, we are committed to delivering a premium and thoughtful experience to our customers, who will no doubt embrace the innovation of the ecoSPIRITS technology.”

A partnership between ecoSPIRITS, founded in Singapore in 2017, and Brass Lion Distillery, Singapore’s leading craft spirit producer, is a natural step for both companies. Building Singapore’s first full-fledged micro distillery was a six-year journey for Founder and CEO, Jamie Koh. “I first conceptualised the idea of a Singaporean distillery producing uniquely Singaporean spirits back in 2012. We believe Singapore is the perfect place to create a holistic distillery experience, given how the cocktail and spirits scene here has matured in recent years. At Brass Lion Distillery, we place a strong focus on the quality of our product.”

Collaborations like the one between ecoSPIRITS and Brass Lion Distillery are in keeping with Singapore’s vision to become the world’s greenest city. The ecoSPIRITS format will also make Singapore’s leading gin more affordable to the city’s renowned cocktail scene, reducing the delivered cost to venues by a remarkable 25%. Brass Lion’s flagship Singapore Dry Gin will be available in ecoSPIRITS format in Singapore from August 2020.

“With the ecoSPIRITS program, Brass Lion will be the most sustainable spirit available in Singapore.” Notes Jamie Koh, Founder & CEO of Brass Lion Distillery, “In addition to distilling locally and sourcing our botanicals within a 5km radius of the distillery, we will now able to significantly reduce our glass and packaging waste. This lowers our carbon footprint and allows us to pass on the cost savings to our venue partners. We are proud to be able to do our small part for the environment.”

All three spirit producers will participate in the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program, in which one tree is planted in for each cycle of an ecoTOTE through the ecoSPIRITS closed loop distribution platform. Their support of the Forest Program will plant thousands of additional trees, each sequestering approximately 12kg of CO₂ per year, in the ecoSPIRITS reforestation area in the endangered Kalimantan rainforest in Borneo.

“Drinking local is an integral part of the future of our industry. Local spirits delivered through low waste, low carbon technology is the ultimate in spirits sustainability,” notes Paul Gabie, ecoSPIRITS CEO. “We thank the teams at Never Never, Peddlers and Brass Lion for their trust. Now we roll up our sleeves and get to work together on the 40 billion single use glass bottles that our industry produces every year.”

About Never Never Distilling Co.

Never Never Distilling Co. is built on bold decisions and a fearless spirit. It was founded by three friends with the passion and drive to produce Australia’s most highly awarded gins. When it comes to the Never Never Distilling Co, our mantra is more flavour. More flavour makes better gin and better gin makes better drinks. We create gins with bold, concentrated flavour, that celebrate a new classic style, in order to create the best g&t’s and signature cocktails. We thirst for more, not just in the spirits we make but in the lives we lead. For more information, please visit www.neverneverdistilling.com.au.

About Peddlers Gin Company

Founded in Shanghai in 2016, Peddlers Shanghai Gin is the world’s first craft gin from China. The product is the result of a three-year journey across the country focused solely on making a gin for the most discerning and adventurous drinkers. Distinctive notes of Buddha’s hand, Sichuan pepper and lotus flower complement traditional botanicals for a unique yet perfectly blended gin. Having won several big awards in China and at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards, Peddlers Gin is part of a growing “Made in China” movement showing that premium craft spirits from the Middle Kingdom can compete with the best on the world stage. For more information, please visit www.peddlersgin.com

About Brass Lion Distillery

Launched in 2018, Brass Lion Distillery is Singapore’s first full-fledged micro-distillery offering a selection of high-quality craft spirits using local ingredients. Inspired by the flourishing spice trade that made Singapore a trading hub in the 19th century, Brass Lion Distillery uses familiar Southeast Asian botanicals to create distinctive spirit creations that reflect Singapore’s heritage as a cultural melting pot. For more information, please visit www.brassliondistillery.com

SINGAPORE 3 JUNE 2020 ecoSPIRITS and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have partnered to reduce single use glass waste and carbon footprint across the leading hotel group’s entire Asia Pacific network. With this partnership, Four Seasons becomes the first hotel group in the world to pioneer low carbon, low waste spirits on a continent-wide scale.

As one of the world’s most respected hotel companies, Four Seasons is extending its leadership position with a number of sustainability initiatives. Under the partnership with ecoSPIRITS, Four Seasons properties across Asia Pacific will exclusively pour premium and craft spirits available through the ecoSPIRITS distribution platform. This partnership is expected to eliminate tens of thousands of single use glass bottles, and many tons of carbon emissions, per year once fully implemented.

ecoSPIRITS is currently available in Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Mainland China, Malaysia, Thailand, the Maldives, Australia, and New Zealand. A growing number of Four Seasons properties have already completed the transition to ecoSPIRITS, including Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney and Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giravaaru. The balance of Four Season’s Asia Pacific properties will transition to ecoSPIRITS as the technology becomes available in the remaining regional markets.

“We are proud and excited to partner with ecoSPIRITS in implementing this innovative and important new technology across 27 properties in the Asia Pacific region.” said Four Seasons Asia Pacific Vice President of Food & Beverage, Philipp Blaser.  “The positive impact of decreasing the carbon footprint of spirits by 80% speak for themselves, especially as in 2020 we are welcoming 10 new restaurants and bars including the opening of Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Praya River and Four Seasons Tokyo Otemachi. We have found the transition process to be seamless with very few changes required in back-of-house, while the partnership further reinforces our other sustainability efforts in other areas including the elimination of plastic bottles from our guestroom private bars in Asia Pacific and plastic straws across our global portfolio.”

As part of this ground-breaking partnership, ecoSPIRITS will provide detailed carbon audit and waste savings reporting to Four Seasons.  In addition to this glass waste reduction, the ecoSPIRITS Forest Program will plant one indigenous tree in a reforestation tract of the Kalimantan rainforest area in Borneo, Indonesia for each cycle of an ecoTOTE through the ecoSPIRITS and Four Seasons closed loop. ecoSPIRITS expects to plant several thousand trees on behalf of Four Seasons in the next 12 months.

ecoSPIRITS CEO Paul Gabie notes, “Provenance is important for premium spirits, and for the well-travelled luxury hotel guest. Unfortunately, this translates into high carbon footprints. ecoSPIRITS addresses the problem of single use glass, which makes up the majority of the carbon footprint of premium spirits. We are delighted to partner with Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, who are demonstrating true sustainability leadership with this Asia-Pacific wide commitment. Together, we can eliminate a small portion of the 22 million tons of carbon emission that single use glass spirit bottles will generate in 2020.” 

About Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts

Founded in 1960, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is dedicated to perfecting the travel experience through continual innovation and the highest standards of hospitality. Currently operating 116 hotels and resorts, and 44 residential properties in major city centres and resort destinations in 47 countries, and with more than 50 projects under planning or development, Four Seasons consistently ranks among the world’s best hotels and most prestigious brands in reader polls, traveller reviews and industry awards. For more information and reservations, visit fourseasons.com. For the latest news, visit press.fourseasons.com and follow @FourSeasonsPR on Twitter.