20 Sustainable, Socially-Conscious Wines and Spirits to Fill Your Liquor Cabinet

Each September, for National Bourbon Heritage Month—an observance actually declared by the Senate—Angel’s Envy partners with the Arbor Day Foundation and Green Forests Work to plant one oak tree for every social media post featuring their bourbon or rye and using the hashtag #ToastTheTrees. To date, according to Angel’s Envy, almost 45,000 trees have been planted as a result. Their Port-barrel finished Bourbon is a standout, but the rye, finished in Caribbean rum casks, is a game-changer. Angelsenvy.com

Producer Caledonia Spirits, in Hardwick, Vermont, has an expansive commitment to the environment and the local community. “The new facility is estimated to use 83% less water per bottle of gin than the company’s previous facility, and waste from the distillery will be sent to the City of Montpelier’s biodigester to be used as renewable fuel,” they said in a recent statement. As for the products, they are excellent, particularly the Barr Hill Gin, which carries just the slightest hint of sweetness from raw local honey, and a wonderful Reserve version, which has been aged in American oak casks. Caledoniaspirits.com

In addition to producing fantastic wine (their 2016 Serendipity Block Pinot Noir is phenomenal, with aromas of sweet spice, cherry compote, and cola, and gorgeous flavors of black raspberries, wild strawberries, and candied rose petals), Belden Barns has partnered with Jenny and Vince Trotter to run The Farmstead, which features sustainably farmed products. Beldenbarns.com

Bonterra has focused on farming organically for more than three decades, and their McNab, Blue Heron, and Butler ranches are all certified biodynamic. Their McNab Single Vineyard Cuvée 2013 is a mature dream, with blackberries, figs, and spice cake that linger through a generous and haunting finish. Bonterra.com

With a focus on sourcing as much barley from their home island as possible, this legendary Islay distillery is, according to Bruichladdich, the biggest private employer there, though it remains the second smallest distillery. Their Islay Barley 2011 Single Malt Scotch Whisky sings with golden raisins, baked apples, and a subtle note of vanilla aromas, while the palate, sneakily powerful and impeccably balanced, shows flavors of hard pears and white flowers, all framed by wisps of salinity that demand another sip. And then another. Bruichladdich.com

This Louisville-based brandy producer relies heavily on solar power, boasts two water-recycling systems, and recently created a Monarch butterfly garden on-site. Their brandy and gin are reliably fascinating. Recently, we’ve loved their Floodwall Apple Brandy, as well as The Ninth, an orange gin that’s been aged in orange curaçao barrels that makes a particularly memorable Negroni or Boulevardier. Copperandkings.com

Based in Bristol, Pennsylvania, Dad’s Hat not only produces stellar rye—the vermouth-barrel-aged bottling could permanently change your perception of the Manhattan—but they are also engaged in an ongoing project to bring back heritage strains of rye that have been lost over the generations. Dadshatrye.com

Distilled in France and incorporating quinoa grown in the Bolivian Altiplano, FAIR is Fairtrade certified, and in Bolivia, they’ve partnered with Jacha Inti, in La Paz’s El Alto section, to process the quinoa. The organization is not only a source of employment for the local population, but it also directly funds community projects in the Altiplano villages where the quinoa is grown. In addition to vodka, the company produces socially and environmentally conscientious gin with juniper from an Uzbekistani nature reserve, rum from fair-trade cane grown in Belize, and more. The vodka is very subtly sweet and almost impossibly smooth—great in cocktails, but just as delicious on its own, well-chilled. Fair-drinks.com

One of Australia’s top gin producers and a brand that’s attained cult status among mixologists and cocktail obsessives, Four Pillars, in Australia’s breathtaking Yarra Valley, hosts a community weekend every December, and all of the money raised is donated to local charities. Their Bloody Shiraz Gin, which takes their already epic gin and soaks Shiraz grapes in it for two months, is fruity and alluringly spicy on the nose, with flavors of sweet berries and cherries, a hint of orange-peel citrus, and the lift of aromatic spices lingering through the long finish. Fourpillarsgin.com.au

Crafted in Sebastopol and with a focus on California botanicals, this excellent spirit—a fresh expression of gin, with lime, balsamic notes, and a distinctly savory finish—makes a transformative gin and tonic. It’s also good for the planet: The botanicals are sustainably grown, the company has partnered with Oceana, and 1% of sales helps fund charities that help the environment. Graywhalegin.com

This Ferragamo-owned estate in Tuscany is utterly spectacular. The accommodations and dining are nestled into and around a Medieval village that the family has lovingly overhauled, and the winery produces bottlings that run the gamut from immediately enjoyable to wildly age-worthy. In 2015, all of their vineyards were certified organic, which, Salvatore Ferragamo and winemaker Stefano Chioccioli told me during a visit this past summer, has allowed the team to understand the estate as a whole ecosystem. And the wines themselves are worth stocking up on. The Alessandro dal Borro 2015 is a monumental Syrah-based wine with iron-like mineral notes, floral pink peppercorns, red-cherry compote, a hint of meaty savoriness, and an almost briny note that will make this spectacular at the table. It’s great now, and promises to evolve for another 40 years at least. Ilborro.it

One of Sonoma’s leaders in environmentally responsible farming, more than 75% of Jordan’s expansive lands are given over to the natural environment. Beyond that, everything from recycling and systems to reclaim water and beyond is geared toward respecting the land and the community. Their wines, always excellent, are better than ever. The 2015 Cabernet, which is the first vintage of the legendary wine to be 100% aged in French oak, is collector-worthy, and the 2014 Cab is maturing beautifully, yet still has plenty of time to go before reaching its peak. These are wines for the cellar that also show beautifully in their youth. Jordanwinery.com

This vast Southern French wine region is home to nearly a third of all of the country’s organic vineyards, which is substantial, given the fact that it’s among the biggest wine regions on the planet. Look for additional certifications including the Haute Valeur Environnementale, which notes that a particular producer incorporates practices that minimize the damage to the environment.

From Swartland, north of both Cape Town and the iconic Stellenbosch wine region, the 2018 Chanin Blanc is certified sustainable and fair trade, and the producer works with the Pebbles Project to give half of the profits to the growers of the grapes. It’s also delicious, with lots of stone and orchard fruit, flowers, sweet spice, and zippy acidity. Also look for it in a can, which is even better for the planet. Lubanziwines.com

According to their own statistics, this Willamette Valley standout “is one of the largest producers of certified estate wines made from Biodynamic grapes in the country,” with a “200-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic and CCOF Certified Organic vineyard.” In addition to excellent Pinot Noirs, their 2016 Lagrein is fascinating, with tobacco, sage, and grilled plum aromas preceding flavors of black cherries, herbs, licorice root, and violets. Monitore.com

Following an extended visit this past winter, it is abundantly clear that the wine industry as a whole here is deeply focused on both maintaining the range of terroirs that make the nation’s wines so diverse and interesting, as well as increasing everything from soil health to biodiversity in the vineyards and beyond. Look for the New Zealand Sustainable Winegrowing sticker on bottles for producers that are particularly committed. Nzwine.com

Distilled from sustainable grains and then cut down to proof with water from Siberia’s Lake Baikal, Organika donates some of the money of its sales to Amur Tiger sanctuaries. The vodka is creamy in texture and pleasantly nods in the direction of citrus and pine; and the Organika Life bottling is subtly infused with Sagan-Dalia, a Siberian shrub that lends the vodka a quiet herbal lift without overwhelming it. Organika.vodka

Produced in Surrey, England, this distillery is carbon neutral, uses biodiesel, and has enough solar panels to power the entire operation. And the gin is excellent, with a sweetly herbal nose lifted by aromas of mint and chamomile, and a floral palate kissed by lemon oil and orange peel, all of which make it excellent in a Gibson. Silentpooldisillers.com

Slane Castle rises up from the lush, rolling hills of the Boyne River Valley and looks just about as close to storybook Ireland as I’ve ever imagined. Earlier this year, it received its Origin Green sustainability certification, and the beautiful distillery incorporates rainwater-usage and energy-recovery technology. The Triple Casked Irish Whiskey itself is dangerously easy to drink, a smooth-souled spirit with notes of spice, cedar, vanilla, and pineapple. Slaneirishwhiskey.com

The legendary importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Biondi-Santi focuses so much on producers’ environmental commitments that they developed an entire web page dedicated to their certifications, complete with definitions of the somewhat confusing terminology that goes along with it all. Schramsberg, for example, is certified Napa green; Dal Forno is sustainable; Hyde de Villaine is using certified Fish Friendly Farming practices. I expect resources like this to become more commonplace in the coming years. It’s helpful and important to have it all in one place for reference when making buying decisions. Wilsondaniels.com