Caleno

The production method uses steam distillation of botanicals in stainless steel drums, a process in which steam passes through plant material to draw out volatile flavour compounds without relying on alcohol as the extraction medium. The Inca berry, native to South America, is a signature ingredient in the original variant and grounds the brand's tropical character in a specifically South American botanical. The first product reached shelves in early 2019, with a rum-adjacent botanical variant following in 2020. Caleño remains an independent, founder-led business.

The AF spirits range spans gin-adjacent and rum-adjacent botanical styles alongside fruit-forward variants. Unlike much of the wider AF spirits category, which draws on European botanical traditions, Caleño's palette takes its cues from tropical and South American ingredients, giving it a flavour profile that stands apart from the majority of AF gins and botanical spirits competing for the same shelf space. The visual identity is bold and pattern-led, a deliberate departure from the clinical aesthetic common in early AF spirits packaging.

The brand has consistently positioned itself at the sober-curious drinker who wants something that feels festive in a social setting. Distribution is multi-channel: the range is available through mainstream supermarkets, specialist alcohol-free retailers, and direct-to-consumer, placing Caleño in the premium bracket of the AF spirits market.

Caleño was among the earlier entrants in the British AF botanical spirits category and has maintained a founder-led structure through its growth, giving it a defined position within a market that has since become considerably more crowded.