About this SPIRIT
Arbikie Distillery
Established by the three Stirling brothers on their family’s picturesque East Coast estate, Arbikie Distillery has upheld a steadfast sustainability commitment since its inception. From the moment the distillery’s doors swung open, they embarked on a remarkable journey with sustainability firmly embedded in their core values. Arbikie’s dedication to environmental responsibility is nothing short of exemplary.
At the heart of the distillery’s sustainability journey is its pioneering use of hydrogen fuel, a groundbreaking innovation that has set them apart in the world of distillation. This innovative approach to energy sourcing demonstrates their unwavering dedication to reducing their carbon footprint. Hydrogen fuel, known for its clean and renewable characteristics, powers their distillation process, ensuring their operations have minimal environmental impact.
However, Arbikie’s sustainability commitments extend far beyond their energy sources. Their dedication to being carbon-positive is a testament to their holistic approach to environmental stewardship. They actively engage in sustainable farming practices, cultivating crops that contribute to their distillation and help offset carbon emissions. These carbon-positive crops represent a genuine effort to give back to the planet by sequestering more carbon than they emit, making Arbikie a true leader in green distilling.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
To work so long and tirelessly to research and produce a carbon-positive gin requires real surety of purpose. Thankfully, the Stirling brothers of Arbikie distillery – together with their fiendishly talented Master Distiller, Kirsty Black – have just such a firmness of vision. Using peas as the raw material for fermentation, and thus distillation, allows significant sustainability benefits. If you’ll pardon the sustainability allusion, this is a gin on the greener side of the flavour spectrum, with plenty of juniper, pine needle, lemongrass and tree sap notes. Creamily moreish on the palate, this is structurally more than capable of being used for cocktails or with tonic. I’ll have mine with ginger ale, please.
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer (November 2020)
spirit at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee