Page 33 - Food&Drink Magazine August 2019

Buzz without booze
Non-alcoholic spirits are an alternative here to stay. Doris Prodanovic speaks to ALTD Spirits founder Tim Triggs on the trend.
NON-ALCOHOLIC spirits are creating buzz without ‘the buzz’, as Australians increasingly shift their drinking habits and find alternatives to alcohol.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics found Australian alcohol consumption continues to decline.
In 2017-18, one in six (16.1 per cent) people aged over 18 years consumed more than two standard drinks per day on average, which dropped from 17.4 per cent in 2014-15 and 19.5 per cent in 2011-12.
So, who’s making these alcohol-free drinks and why?
“We’re trying to create liquids interesting enough that people want to drink them regardless of them having alcohol in them or not,” ALTD Spirits founder and managing director Tim Triggs told Food & Drink Business.
ALTD – meaning, altered or alternative – started in 2018 and came out of Triggs’ personal preference to stop drinking alcohol fours year ago, when, “like many others, I realised that other options were limited or poor.”
ALTD aims to reach “essentially anyone that isn’t drinking for whatever reason but still wants to be part of the fun.” Lots of people fit that mould, he says.
Non-alcoholic spirits often use distilled botanicals to achieve their taste.
For ALTD, its spirits are hand distilled in micro-batches using traditional copper alembic stills, locally grown botanicals and ingredients.
Triggs says price is one of the major challenges facing non-alcoholic spirits producers.
“We have a premium product and most people think because it’s got no alcohol in it it should be cheap. When we tell people how it’s made – people get it.”
Triggs further highlights that with the shift of drinking culture in Australia, as well as more
competition from new entrants with capital
behind them, the non-alcoholic spirits space is
only expected to continue in growth.
“Regular alcohol producers have
or are actively looking at low or no alcohol options.
“It’s only a matter of time before more jump on board
and come out with alternatives. Bring it on, we say.” ✷
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | August 2019 | Food&Drink business | 33