Stoli invests in hemp-based zero-ABV ‘spirit’
Luxembourg-based Stoli Group has made a ‘strategic’ investment in The Pathfinder Hemp and Root, its first non-alcoholic ‘spirit’.
Stoli Group, which owns its namesake vodka brand and Bayou rum, said the undisclosed investment in non-alcoholic hemp-based amaro The Pathfinder brings “diversification” to the company’s portfolio, according to global CEO Damian McKinney.
“The Pathfinder is a true trailblazer in the zero-proof category and as this massive shift in the culture of socialisation continues. The Pathfinder and Stoli Group combo creates limitless possibilities,” he continued.
Stoli said the alcohol-free brand had developed a ‘loyal following’ among mindful drinkers, cocktail fans, bartenders and baristas.
Furthermore, it said the move came as the brand has a ‘10,000-plus waitlist’ and is creating a limited edition collector’s bottle to ‘meet consumer demand’.
Described as the ‘new Pappy Van Winkle’ by The New York Post, The Pathfinder claims to be the number-one-selling product this year in many US non-alcoholic retailers, including Boisson, Met Market in Seattle, Wellspent in Portland, and New York’s Amor Y Amargo.
“We have won over a lot of skeptics who didn’t believe that non-alcoholic options would find a place in the beverage world,” said Kraig Rovensky, global ambassador for The Pathfinder Hemp and Root.
“We’re blazing a trail for those who want to try something different – and the demand we’ve seen in the past few months proves that zero-proof ‘spirits’ are here to stay.”
The Pathfinder is made from fermented and distilled hemp, which deliver an ‘intense flavour and aromatic characteristics of a spirit’. Ingredients include douglas fir, sage, juniper, saffron, wormwood and angelica root.
The brand was inspired by the age of apothecaries and homemade remedies.
The non-alcoholic ‘spirit’ offers ‘root cellar aromas highlighted by dried herbs, gentle warming spice, bittersweet citrus, and pine, with a bracing finish’.
The drink can be served in coffee, neat, over ice or used as the base of a cocktail.
The Pathfinder Hemp and Root is priced at US$39.99 per 700ml bottle.
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