Seedlip: A Disappointing Introduction
/When I first decided that I needed to put my cool-climate Chardonnays in the rearview mirror, I began to troll the alcohol-free section at every supermarket in the vicinity of my home and office. I tried several beers and some alcohol-free wine, which was horrible. When I first heard about alcohol-free spirits, I was ecstatic. I was dreaming about a gin and tonic that tasted just like a real one.
As it was my first foray into alcohol-free drinking, I hadn’t yet discovered the innovative world of AF spirits that’s out there so I landed on Seedlip which was available at my local grocery store.
What is Seedlip?
Before I go on, let me explain what Seedlip is, and why it was the first thing I was able to easily reach for.
Seedlip was created in 2016 in the UK and are mostly-owned by big alcohol comglomerate Diageo. They’ve marketed themselves as the first alcohol-free spirit, which isn’t actually the case, as a company called XXXXX has been innovating zero-proof spirits since 2010. Their mass-market positioning and the deep sales channels of Diageo enabled Seedlip to quickly and easily get into grocery store chains around the globe. They have a good portfolio of zero-proof spirits, bitters and aperitifs, but the most popular products are the spirits. Grove, Spice and Garden all have unique flavour profiles that are meant to elevate the specific botanicals that are distilled in them.
Making An Alcohol-free Gin & Tonic with Seedlip
I’m a sucker for diet tonic water, so my first AF G& T was exactly that - diet tonic water, Seedlip and fresh lime juice over ice. When I finally took a first sip, I was completely underwhelmed. Here I was expecting the same fire and burn you get from ethanol, and got a rude awakening. What I’ve learned since is that no matter how mouth-watering the flavour profile of a spiritless drink, it is impossible to recreate the same burn as ethanol. Aside from that though, Seedlip tasted like distilled water with some very mild juniper and citrus notes. For me, it fell flat.
Unfortunately, most people will be reaching for Seedlip since it’s so readily available. A friend said to me that she thought she couldn’t 'do alcohol-free’ because she didn’t like Seedlip. Fortunately, that’s not true. There are a lot of other brands on the market now that are much much better than Seedlip.
