Nadar Gin: relax knowing you’re sipping carbon away
Did you know there is a company that makes gin which actually takes out more carbon (1.54kg to be exact) than the process puts in! I thought wow I have to try it and learn a bit about how they achieve it. This is my account of how it does such a wonderful thing and my thoughts when tasting it
What the gin is:
Nadar gin, named after the Gaelic word for nature, is produced just north of Dundee on the east coast of Scotland. The gin is basically a groundbreaking experiment with Abertay university, and The James Hutton Institute. The project was the PHD of the Master Distiller Kirsty Black. Hopefully this work will inspire other industries to make similar leaps into carbon negative products. https://www.arbikie.com/item/23/Ndar-Gin.html
How is it carbon negative??
This is a question I was asking myself… Well the answer is easy peasy - it is made with peas! Peas are legumes; a very clever type of plant that's able to extract nitrogen from the air instead of having to use synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. This protects the air, soil and the water around the fields from harmful fertilizers that would otherwise have to be used. The planting of the crops also helps as the plants not only use carbon to grow, but also store carbon in the soil. (I am still waiting to hear back from the distillery to see where the exact numbers stack up, and to understand the supply chain of the bottles and labels etc).
“Growing this crop means no nitrogen fertiliser is needed, avoiding the negative environmental impact of its production and use. Including fields of peas on our farms also benefits the ecosystem by supporting pollinating insects and improving soil quality - aiding subsequent crops. The residue left over from our distillation processes can also be used as a protein rich animal-feed, reducing the dependency on imported feed - it’s wider use could even solve Europe’s animal-feed eco-challenges!”
First impressions:
I was really impressed with the packaging of the product; fully recyclable, which is now starting to become a normal thing. However, we should be praising it still as it is not yet a heavy majority.
The bottle itself is well designed, and came with tasting cards , a fact card about the product, and finally a mask. I thought this was a classy touch from the company to promote staying protected during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Excited to taste the gin, my girlfriend and I decided to try the product alone, and then in a G&T. The first scent of Nadar gin was potent, it did seem strong and the same on a straight sip. To be fair, how often do you drink gin straight or on the rocks? So we made a gin and tonic using the tasting notes provided.
Initially we were a bit put back by the taste, it was rather strong and didn’t seem to sit on the tongue nicely. However, our initial impression was due to the batch being experimental. This being said, when we made a second drink using the gin a couple of weeks later, we added a splash of elderflower and a slice of lemon. This lifted the flavours and made it an extremely enjoyable way to wind down on a weekend. Even better to know we are sipping out carbon from the atmosphere. Cheers to that!!
There is also a recipe on the website for a cocktail to use the gin in, which is something I will definitely be trying next time. The best thing is the name, “death in the pea’vening” those who know me know I love a pun. So big tallman tick for that
Why you should back this company:
Arbike also are continuing their journey of reducing the impact of their operation by partnering with EcoSpirits, a company who focus on packaging and distributing premium spirits in a circular fashion, reducing the carbon footprint by 70-90% of normal delivery methods. This equates to around an extra 550g/bottle of CO2. Pretty cool if you ask me. https://www.arbikie.com/blog/arbikie-distillery-announces-new-partnership-with-ecospirits
There is now a second pea to this amazing pod of carbon negative spirits, Arbike have created a Nadar Vodka, which uses the same base for the spirit, making it also carbon negative… What an absolute dream. https://www.arbikie.com/item/24/Ndar-Vodka.html
They also get involved in the community with local clean ups of their beach, take a look at the post on their blog (https://www.arbikie.com/blog/lunan-bay-beach-clean-up). Arbike has also been involved in the opening of a carbon positive bar in London, highlighting you can have a great evening, not at the expense of the planet. Teaming up with Avallen and Terrior Tapas. This was a pop-up event, which is a bit deflating. Let's hope more of these are going to be happening in the future. (https://www.arbikie.com/blog/uks-first-climate-positive-cocktail-bar-opens-for-cocktails-in-the-city)
Final Review:
Although the initial taste of the gin was not the most enjoyable experience, I am fully behind projects like this. Arbike took the plunge to team up with experts in the field to create a sustainable spirit and showcase what the process can achieve, hoping more people follow in their footsteps. Plus with some creative changes and knowing what flavours you personally like, I found the final drink refreshing and knowing the product is not going to waste is ideal. Plus funding more of these products and projects with demand for them is only going to be a good thing in the future. Therefore I strongly recommend you give this gin a taste next time you’re looking to order some, or make it a great gift for your family and friends. I've already given it as a gift and it was loved with a different tasting experience. Meaning the experimental batch is exactly that.
