THAT’S THE SPIRIT

Bali-based Spice Islands Distilling Co. is raising the bar for Indonesian craft spirits and winning global awards in the process.

What do you get when you combine individuals passionate about making top-quality liquor and the natural wealth of the world’s biggest island country? The result is Spice Islands Distilling Co., billed as one of the first makers of premium craft spirits in Indonesia, an archipelago that’s home to around 10 percent of the world’s flowering plants. Barely four years after its inception, the Bali-based company has proven that Indonesian spirits can compete on an international level.

Spice Islands focuses on creating premium drinks using only the finest local ingredients and time-honored distillation methods. The company’s debut product—and Indonesia’s first true craft coffee liqueur—Nusantara Cold Brew features handpicked Arabica beans from renowned coffee-producing regions such as Aceh’s Gayo highlands, Tana Toraja, Java, and Bali’s own Kintamani district. It has a remarkably rich and deep flavor, with only half the sugar content of its mass-produced rivals but 10 times the coffee. Judges at the 2022 International Wine & Spirits Competition recently recognized Nusantara Cold Brew with a bronze award.

Launched last December, East Indies Archipelago Dry Gin contains botanicals such as juniper, angelica root, lemongrass, and cinnamon. But it’s the addition of torch ginger flowers, andaliman pepper, and lemon basil that gives this gin an unmistakably Indonesian twist. Distinctive and smooth, it won a gold medal at the 2022 World Spirits Awards held in Austria this past March. Two more versions of East Indies Gin are in the pipeline, and distillery visits will become possible in the coming months.

Spice Islands aims to “raise Indonesian spirits” not only through the quality of its products but also various community programs. Aside from supporting local farmers, the company actively contributes to charity, training hospitality staff laid off due to the pandemic so they retain their knowledge and skills, making it easier for them to find employment as the tourism industry bounces back. Spice Islands also collects and recycles bottles from customers in Bali, despite the high cost of doing so, demonstrating its commitment to making the island a cleaner place.