At P2,799, the flagship ARC Botanical Gin is clearly not your gin bulag that’s often blamed for brawls and dalliances, living up to its moniker ‘Mother’s ruin.’
Full Circle Craft Distillers co-founders and couple Matthew and Laurie Westfall are not keeping any secrets as they celebrate five glorious years of their family-owned distillery. Full Circle commemorates its anniversary with the launch of its Saturday tour and tasting experience, and the new iconic design of its bottles.
Launched in 2018, the distillery was meant to promote the Philippines and its rich flora. And this good intention resulted in the handcrafted flagship spirit called Archipelago or ARC Botanical Gin. When the global pandemic hit and everyone stayed home due to lockdowns, alcohol sales in the country spiked and ARC Gin became among the favored drinks to sip at home while sweet time passed by.
Today, Full Circle is a PEZA-registered distillery and its expansion in five years has been phenomenal. Already, it has collected honors in celebrated global competitions and has entered the markets of the US, UK, EU and Asia.
Welcome to “Gin-derland”
Refreshing cocktails set the pace of the tour. Bartenders prepare drinks like Turon Negroni, using ARC Barrel Reserve Gin; Gin Pomelo and basic G&T that both include Archipelago Botanical Gin. Finger foods like sisigin tiny taco shells, chicken inasal in mini-skewers, and bite-sized turon are passed around by uniformed waiters.
Then, the grownup version of the field trip commences.
ARC Botanical Gin consists of 28 botanicals, with 22 ingredients locally sourced and foraged. The mangoes are from Pangasinan; pomelo from Davao; and Benguet pine from Sagada. Fragrant flowers are picked from San Pedro, Laguna.
“It’s 100 years in the making,” he says, mentioning the story of his grandfather, a Russified German who arrived in Manila in 1918 to work in San Miguel’s iconic Royal Soft Drinks. Matthew has always had that entrepreneurial fire in him.
Juniper berries are the non-negotiable ingredients in gin. The rest lies in the producer’s choice of botanicals, herbs, and spices for that distinctive flavor. ARC Botanical Gin consists of 28 botanicals, with 22 ingredients locally sourced and foraged. The mangoes are from the Westfalls’ private farm in Dasol, Pangasinan; pomelo from Davao; and Benguet pine from Sagada, Mountain Province. Fragrant flowers like sampaguita, ylang-ylang, and camia are picked from San Pedro, Laguna.
Black Bamboo, the latest ARC expression, takes inspiration from Laurie’s mom who has a farm in Tagaytay. Unlike the ARC Botanical Gin, this unique drink only has black bamboo and juniper berries, which makes its taste profile spicy and earthy. Kind of a mysterious but bold drink.
Matthew also showed the handsome 225-liter American oak barrels handmade by top cooperage in Napa, California. Here, he revealed, is where ARC Barrel Reserve Gin is aged between four to six months.
Visitors are also introduced to the newly launched bespoke 700ml design featuring its front label inspired from the Spanish colonial art form, Letras y Figuras; the eight-ray Philippine sun from the national flag engraved all over the bottle; and a copper-engraved cork that honors the distillery’s German copper stills.
Meet Maddie
The bomb in this tour is Maddie, a state-of-the-art 450-liter copper pot still built by CARL Distilleries of Germany. CARL has been fabricating the best copper stills in the world since 1869. Looking like a machine straight from a steampunk movie, the copper pot still is fully automated to ensure distillation is controlled and consistent with the Archipelago standards of creating gin.
Maddie, by the way, is also the name of the family’s fur baby that has passed away.
The tasting experience is the fitting finale. Visitors get a shot each of the four Archipelago Gin line: the Botanical Gin, Barrel Reserve, Lava Rock, and Black Bamboo.
At P2,799 for the flagship ARC Botanical Gin, and up for other ARC spirits, it’s clearly not your street-style gin bulag drink—blamed for many brawls and dalliances, living up to its moniker as “Mother’s ruin” as the old English would say.
Rather, ARC Gin’s level of quality offers blinding love nonetheless and has received international awards. Perhaps the most prized gin and vodka brand from the Philippines, its latest accolade includes three Gold and two coveted Master medals at the Asian Spirits Masters 2023.
All the good stuff
Full Circle gives back to the community through its Gin for Good program, which is in partnership with Katala Foundation in Palawan. Every bottle sold contributes a percentage of its profits to conserving and preserving endangered Philippine wildlife.
Meanwhile, Matthew who is often asked if there is such a concept as Filipino gin and if Archipelago is one, surmises: “The idea is that Archipelago should be a great gin that happened to be made in the Philippines. We want our brand to be international. And when people turn the bottle over—made in the Philippines—it would surprise them because they didn’t expect it. We’re our own worst enemy with our colonial mentality. It’s local, there’s something wrong with it. Part of our vision is to change the narrative and give people the opportunity to taste a line of Philippine spirits, change the old perception, and start loving local.”
The future of gin is looking fine, says Matthew: “It’s been said that the market is highly saturated and there’s no more space for gin. I don’t believe that’s true. My view is that gin is a beautiful experience, sort of like a blank canvas that has so much you can play around with. It mixes with so many wonderful cocktails. Gin will always be a classic.”
To book a tour or for more information text 09171184446 or follow Full Circle Craft Distiller’s Facebook page.
