Sylva creates second ‘spirit’ from trees
Seedlip founder Ben Branson has released a new small-batch aged ‘spirit’ from his non-alcoholic distillery and maturation lab Sylva.
The lab is part of Pollen Projects, a venture studio Branson developed last year.
Sylva is said to be ‘a celebration and exploration of the unique diversity of flavour found in trees and a reminder in this fast-paced world to slow down and sip something delicious’.
The brand launched its first release, Padauk, in September 2024, which was made from the eponymous West African wood.
Its new release, Hazel, is similarly made from wood, specifically hazel, silver birch and oak, which are British native species.
Branson, who founded alcohol-free ‘spirit’ Seedlip in 2015, said: “We’re taking a never-before approach to create never-before liquids using a new frontier in flavour: trees. It’s proving to be very very exciting.
“With our forest as our larder, I have really enjoyed witnessing the dormancy of our trees through the winter to their gentle awakening in spring. I wanted to capture that character by working with these three very special broadleaf species for our second limited release.”
The process involves foraging and distilling young hazel catkins and fresh hazel leaves, as well as splitting, roasting, and charring wood.
Sylva Hazel will be available from the brand’s website from 15 April priced at £40 (US$52) per bottle.
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