One Water – the ethical bottled water brand that supports clean water projects in the developing world – will stray into the alcohol category for the first time when it launches a new batch of hand-distilled gin.
One Gin is distilled at Blackdown Distillery in Sussex using nine botanicals from around the world, as well as one quintessentially British ingredient – sage, which is foraged from the grounds of the distillery. The gin is handcrafted in small batches in an alembic copper still and then seven-times filtered for a smooth finish. The result is a unique British gin with savoury notes of black tea from the marriage of juniper and sage, One Water said.
The company is aiming to raise £20,000 on Crowdfunder to support the launch of the gin, with the first bottles expected this June.
Ian Spooner, marketing director for The One Brand, said: “For almost 12 years now, we’ve been selling bottled water and great tasting soft drinks, and using the profit to fund life-changing water projects in some of the world’s poorest communities.
“We are always seeking new ways to do this faster, but we have never considered a move into the world of alcoholic drinks… until now. Our hunt for growth sectors in the drinks market has led us into the exciting world of British gin.
“A whopping 40 million bottles were sold last year – enough to make over 1 billion gin and tonics – so we figured we could raise even more funds in this market.”
The company has partnered with World Duty Free, one of its biggest and longest standing customers, as the launch retailer for One Gin. World Duty Free has been selling bottles of One Water for more than ten years and, in the process, raise £1.7 million for water projects.
In total, The One Brand’s full range of products – including water and juice drinks – have helped to raise more than £15 million since the brand’s inception.
Last month, the company trialled an alternative bottle sleeve for World Water Day that raises awareness of the poor water conditions experienced by people in developing countries. The sleeve features a brown gradient that makes the spring water inside appear dirty, which is the case for millions in poor countries who don’t have access to safe drinking water.
One Water founder Duncan Goose called it “a useful moment of reflection”.
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