A micro-distillery in Sydney’s Artarmon is brewing up a range of non-alcoholic spirits that are set to delight local drinkers.
Drawing inspiration from Australia’s wild and local produce, ALTD Spirits is hand distilled in micro-batches using traditional methods such as alembic stills, to create superbly flavoured spirts that are a great alternative to alcohol.
The brains behind this new brand is former Sydney barman Tim Triggs. Well versed in local drinking habits, Triggs says he had begun to notice an increasing demand for sophisticated non-alcoholic beverages.
“I wanted to create a range of spirits that allowed you to still go out with friends and have a good time, but not leading you to write off the following day. Here in Australia, there is an increasing trend not to drink as much with alcohol consumption now being at a fifty-year low.”
And so, the canny barmen made it his mission to develop a beverage range that would cater to the sophisticated palate of a modern drinker without mimicking existing spirits.
“The concept of ‘ALTD’ was to take an alternative approach and provide a really different type of drink – not to chase traditional alcoholic flavour profiles that are more often than not, inevitably elusive. We wanted to use the best fresh ingredients possible and source them as ethically and sustainably as possible.
Triggs said the brand’s mission is to capture “the tastes and sounds of the Australian landscape” with full respect to the land and its original owners with the Australian ingredients all sourced from indigenous suppliers and farmers that support the ethical engagement with traditional owners.
In keeping with this, Triggs says a portion of the profits from all bottles sold is donated to the Jimmy Little Foundation which educates indigenous kids in remote regional areas about healthy lifestyle choices.
Since launching in June Triggs has released three products in its crafted range, each named after a species of Cicada – who Triggs says provide the natural soundtrack to the Australian Summer. Spirits range from the sharp citrus characters of the Green Grocer to the berry undertones of the Silver Princess to the bitter orange of the Golden Emporer, with botanicals sourced from local native products such as wattleseed and lemon myrtle.
Triggs tells KBB in bringing ALTD to market he’s taken an alternative approach to both the branding and the drinks themselves.
“You can see it with the more abstract, bold and bright graphical colours, and the obvious unmistakably Australian flavour combinations,” he explains.
While there is no denying non-alcoholic drinks are a growing FMCG category, Triggs says it’s a competitive marketplace.
“We are up against some seriously huge competition, big players with super deep pockets so I feel like I’m David versus Goliath, but we’re just doing our thing, making great products and building an amazing community of loyal supporters,” Triggs says.
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