‘First’ juniper distilled spirit to launch

Loca Lab, producer of the “world’s first” juniper distilled spirit, has signed its first distribution deal and is readying to launch in the UK.

The brainchild of Sam Trett, founder of Loca Lab, Minus-33 is bottled at 33% and described on the bottle as “something better” than gin.

Currently available for purchase through the Loca Lab website, the brand has now also secured listings with Fortnum and Mason and is expected to go on sale in the UK this summer.

“We created this in a lab and spent about a year experimenting with different flavours and abvs,” explained Trett. “What we found was that everyone agreed the spirit tasted best at 33% – but then you can’t call it a gin.

“It didn’t really fit into any other existing category, so we decided upon ‘juniper distilled spirit’ as it’s the perfect description.”

Minus-33 is made from nine botanicals, including juniper, citrus, lavender, elderflower and angelica and contains 46 calories per serving, although Trett says he is not promoting the spirit as a “low calorie” alternative.

“We wanted to put the calorie information on the bottle just so people know about it,” said Trett. “It’s not a huge point of sale for us; we’re not marketing ourselves as a healthy option. Plus with the recent EU vote in favour of calorie information, it looks like the industry will be going in that direction anyway.

“It’s really important for us to get the consumer experience right.”

Minus-33 is currently available to purchase online at locabev.co.uk and carries an RRP of £30 per 700ml bottle.