Spiritless

The three co-founders had spent years running an experiential events agency, working closely with some of America's most storied distilleries. They knew bourbon inside out. They also knew that when clients wanted something different at the bar, the options ranged from flat to forgettable. So in 2019, with a background in spirits science and a healthy disregard for what the master distillers of Kentucky thought possible, they set about reverse-distilling their way into a new category.

The process is the thing that sets Spiritless apart from most alcohol-free spirit brands. Rather than building a flavour profile from scratch using botanicals and extracts, they start with a genuine high-proof, rapidly aged spirit and then strip the alcohol back out of it through distillation. What remains is something that carries the structural memory of bourbon: the caramel, vanilla, and oak character, the warmth, the weight in a glass. It sits at below 0.5% ABV.

Kentucky 74 was their first product, named for the state and the year bourbon was officially recognised by Congress as America's native spirit. It works best in cocktails where bourbon does the heavy lifting: an Old Fashioned, a Whiskey Sour, a Manhattan. Neat, it divides opinion more than most non-alcoholic spirits do, which is arguably evidence that it's behaving like a real spirit should. The spiced variant adds cinnamon warmth to the same base, opening up a different set of serve options.

Jalisco 55 came later, applying the same approach to tequila. It takes a reposado style as its reference point, with sweet agave, a citrus edge, and the gentle earthiness that comes from time in oak. The name connects it to Jalisco, the Mexican state where tequila originates, and to May 5th, when pre-orders first opened. It holds up in a Margarita or a Paloma, and the brand suggests blending it half-and-half with actual tequila for drinkers who want something in between.

The company moved its headquarters from Louisville to Austin in 2021, a practical decision for a brand that was outgrowing the regional market it had started in. US distribution now spans most states, with placement in national retailers and specialist off-licence chains. There is no meaningful UK presence at the time of writing. Spiritless ships direct from its website, but international delivery is limited and not a reliable route for UK buyers.

For a brand that began by convincing sceptical Kentucky distillers that the whole idea was worth attempting, Spiritless has built a credible position in the premium non-alcoholic spirits space. The reverse distillation approach is genuine rather than gimmicky, and the products behave like cocktail ingredients rather than soft drink substitutes. Whether UK availability expands is, for now, an open question.