ABInBev Japan, The Ethical Spirits & Co, and Gekkeikan Sake Company have come together to turn undrank beer into a new spirit, Revive Gin. Making things even better, part of the sales from the new product will go to support the local cultural and entertainment industries that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sales of beer in Japan are currently down 52.1% compared to the same month last year. With that in mind, the three Japanese companies began working together to turn the wasted beer into Gin.
ABInBev Japan supplied 20,000 liters of excess beer as a base ingredient, Gekkeikan Sake Company supervised the distillation process, and The Ethical Spirits & Co was responsible for the distribution.
In order to make the Gin, the beer is soaked with Japanese beech wood and then it is flavored with juniper berries, hops, and lemon peel. According to the brand, Revive Gin possesses a “light, elegant flavour with savoury and spicy notes.”
Part of the sales made from the Gin will be donated to artists and business operators in the local cultural and entertainment industry, which faced an “unprecedented crisis and the loss of 175 billion JPY” because of the coronavirus crisis, according to the Drinks Business.
You can pre-order Revive Gin via The Ethical Spirits official web shop. The spirit is currently set to launch on September 1 and will cost JPY 5500 ($52 USD).
The Ethical Spirits & Co supports sustainability throughout the beverage industry. Before Revive, it worked with the Masumi sake brewery to upcycle used sake lees as a Gin. ABInBev Japan is the world’s largest beer maker and owner of Budweiser in Japan. Founded in 1637, Gekkeikan Sake Company is one of the world’s oldest companies and manufactures sake and plum wine based in Fushimi, Kyoto, Japan.
