As we have seen for a few years*, there are more and more brands of adult beverages sometimes called non-alcoholic spirits on the world market. Some imitate the most famous spirits like gin or rum.
Others present themselves as botanical drinks beyond the existing categories. Some of these non-alcoholic spirits are distilled, while others are more like flavored water with additives and preservatives.
Some of these non-alcoholic spirits use alcohol in their production while others avoid alcohol altogether.
In Europe and the United States non-alcoholic beverages are defined as containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume and are sold with a bunch of labels like “non-alcoholic spirit”, “non-alcoholic distillate”, “non-alcoholic spirit”, “zero proof”, “0.0 spirit”, “non-alcoholic gin”, “spirit of gin”, “herbal alcohol alternative”.
What am I getting at?
To why the 0.5% issue may be important to some people.
The 0.5% BAC of non-alcoholic products is extremely low. To consume the amount of alcohol in a single beer at 5% alcohol by volume, one would have to drink ten 0.5% non-alcoholic products.
And yet, for many consumers, that 0.5% is very important. Some people with alcohol use disorders avoid products such as kombucha, some orange juices, or vinegar. If you have suffered from addiction, even a small amount can cause you to relapse. Moreover, Spiritsfully does not recommend this type of product to anyone suffering from alcoholism. In short, 0.5% is not 0% so be careful when looking for an alcohol-free product. Don’t take the first one that says “alcohol free” on the label but really look at the percentage!
*(Spiritsfully has been following the issue of non-alcoholic adult beverages for a while as you can read in this article, or this one, or this interview)
