Spirits
Drinking responsibly takes on a whole new meaning when you consider the environmental impact of wines, beers, and spirits.
The alcohol industry has done a good job of handling product packaging—standard beer bottles can be reused 12 to 15 times. The Beer Store will take back any type of wine, spirit, beer, or cooler packaging. In 2008, the Store recovered over 2.1 billion containers, and typically has a bottle recovery rate of over 95 per cent. If you don’t want to take your bottles back, purchase alcohol in clear glass bottles, since it’s easier to recycle than coloured glass.
Buying boxed wine only reduces your footprint if you recycle the container: TetraPaks are lighter, requiring less fuel to ship, but Ecoholic’s Adria Vasil reports that only 14 per cent of these cartons were recycled in 2006 in Ontario. Another way to reduce your impact is to buy your “cold ones” warm, since product refrigeration can be one of the biggest contributors to a beer’s carbon footprint.
Organic alcohols are becoming more popular. Organic refers to the method of growing the ingredients within the alcohol—without the use of pesticides. Organic wines, beers, and spirits contain no added preservatives, which can mean less severe hangovers the morning after. However, that doesn’t mean that organic wines don’t contain sulfites, which occur naturally in all wines (more in dessert and white wines). Some eco-friendly wines contain organically-grown grapes, but are not wholly organic since they do contain added preservatives. A sulfite-free wine would quickly turn to vinegar.
Another environmentally friendly production method is biodynamic winemaking, which promotes biodiversity and biological activity in the soil. All wines labelled as biodynamic must meet the Demeter Association’s standards. Critics of biodynamic agriculture say that farming organically produces virtually the same quality as practicing biodynamics.
Square One Organic Vodka
May 2010
This vodka is made using organic fermentation and distillation techniques, and the ingredients are 100% certified organic North Dakotan rye, spring water, and organic yeasts. The vodka’s label is printed on paper made from responsibly grown bamboo, bagasse, and cotton. Square One’s parent company uses 25% wind generated power and also purchases carbon offsets. The More >
360 Eco Luxury Vodka
May 2010
The grain for this vodka is grown less than 95 miles from its American distillery, but is not organic. Both the bottle and label are made with recycled materials, and the bottle includes a regularly updated eco-audit describing how many resources were conserved as a result. The bottle’s swing-top closure comes with a prepaid envelope More >
