Wilder Spirits has launched a new craft spirits range distilled on an 80-acre Welsh rewilding site and packaged in a paper spirits bottle.
The Grange Project in Monmouthshire is a conservation site that was recently recommended for the Welsh Government's Naturfa Pathway – a strategic initiative to protect 30% of Welsh land for nature by 2030.
The initiative is led by co-founder Tom Constable, a former British Army officer turned ecopreneur, alongside multi-award-winning distillers Tracy and Graham McCarthy.
After purchasing the former silage grassland in September 2023, Tom and his wife Chloe began transforming it into a resilient ecological network.
The distillery is housed in a converted barn powered by solar energy and uses water sourced directly from the land, and foraged botanicals where possible.
Produced by British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac, the paper bottle has a footprint up to six times lower than a standard glass bottle, is five times lighter than glass and can be recycled.
Tom Constable, co-founder of Wilder Spirits, said:
“Three years ago, this land was a crop managed for silage – cut before anything could flower. No habitat, no wildlife, just a crop. Today, it's being transformed into something wilder, and every bottle we sell funds that work directly.
“We wanted to create a spirit rooted in this place, using, where we can, botanicals from the land, water from the stream and harnessing solar energy to power the distillery and a bottle that told the story before you even opened it.
“The Frugal Bottle does exactly that. We need to demonstrate that it's possible to find the right balance between profit and planet. If a small distillery on a rewilding site in Wales can lead this change, it begs the question: what is stopping the rest of the industry?”
Malcolm Waugh, CEO of Frugalpac, said:
“We are proud to partner with Wilder Spirits for this landmark Welsh launch. At Frugalpac, our mission is to decarbonise the global drinks industry by providing a radically more sustainable alternative to glass.
“It's fantastic to see our technology helping to fund the restoration of the Welsh landscape. The Grange Project is a perfect example of what can be achieved when innovation meets a deep commitment to nature.
“By choosing the Frugal Bottle, which is five times lighter than glass and has a carbon footprint up to six times lower, Wilder Spirits is proving that premium quality doesn't have to come with a heavy carbon cost.”
Jane Alty, an executive chef who recently created a Wilder Gin Spritz at The Grange Project, said:
“I recently cooked for Chloe and Tom's charity dinner, Wilder Connections, at The Grange Project in Wales – a beautiful event centred entirely around ingredients grown and foraged on the land. Wilder Gin's distilled on site using botanicals harvested, where possible, from the rewilding project, giving it a real sense of place and character.
“For the welcome serve, we created a Gin Spritz with foraged herbs, olive oil herb for its fresh cucumber notes, and lemon balm for zesty brightness. Those flavours worked beautifully with the gin's blackcurrant notes and layered botanical depth.
“What struck me most about Wilder Gin was its freshness and balance – vibrant, aromatic and incredibly expressive of the landscape it comes from. It's a genuinely distinctive spirit, and the fact it's presented in the Frugal Bottle makes it even more compelling – thoughtful sustainability paired with genuine quality in the glass.”
The sale of Wilder Gin and Wilder 0% Spirit will directly fund nature restoration work nationally.
