Sweetdram distillery launches Edinburgh’s first absinthe

Independent, botanical spirit specialists, Sweetdram, have given absinthe – and the stereotypes of its past - a bright, fresh and local makeover with their wild and sustainable version. The spirit uses botanicals grown in their Edinburgh distillery garden, in a collaborative project with local company Radicle Gardens.

As part of a future goal of making the distillery as sustainable as possible, Sweetdram co-founders Daniel Fisher and Andrew MacLeod Smith, looked to make what they could of the small garden area at the front of their west Edinburgh HQ. The idea was a hyper-local - think food metres not miles - and unique addition to the company’s current range, with the bonus of an experiential element for distillery visitors too.

In addition, this little botanical oasis now offers vital habitat for wildlife, an attractive greenspace on the industrial estate, and a hard-working resource for this first full spirit run, after a successful test batch in 2021.

On-site planting began in 2020 followed by the full range of botanicals (see notes) in Spring 2021 to ensure production manager Andrew had a fully stocked plot.

Andrew says: “Utilising our outdoor space, and working with Radicle, has been a really exciting project. It has provided me with additional creativity in my distilling, and real ownership of the process ‘garden-to-glass’. None of our other products have such a short supply chain and that’s been really rewarding for everyone involved.”

At 46% alcohol by volume (ABV), the Sweetdram Wild Absinthe offers a lighter and more approachable take on the notorious green spirit which is typically bottled at the upper end of the 45-74% ABV spectrum. It has been reinvented to be a different type of wild, and green in more ways than one.

The Sweetdram team took the opportunity to move towards more sustainable packaging on this new product, before progressing plans to roll changes out across the full range in the future. Sweetdram’s Wild Absinthe packaging is minimal, plastic free and the labels are printed on 100% recycled and recyclable paper stock.

The production process uses a closed-loop water cooling system and natural gardening solutions to best build towards a circular economy. Waste from the production of the company’s other spirits, Escubac and Whisky Amaro, are composted to feed the absinthe botanicals. Sweetdram are currently working on greener solutions across the business; this release is a timely marker of where the business is, and ultimately wants to be. The next step is solar panels on the distillery roof to power the 113-litre electric copper pot still.

Daniel says: “Things have moved on in the industry since we first set up Sweetdram, and there are so many more options available to ensure our sustainability goals can be met. We have very environmentally friendly aspirations, but it’s a journey rather than something we can change overnight. This absinthe release offers us a great testing bed, and an important first step, towards some of those goals.”

The Sweetdram team have collaborated with a number of local creatives including illustrator Jack Fletcher on the label, Scottish Mixology, Peace in the Neighbourhood and Edinburgh Sketcher amongst others.

Sweetdram absinthe is available now at sweetdram.com, or via retailers and partner bars nationwide.