‘This is very much not a whisky alternative,’ says Botivo co-founder Sam Paget Steavenson of the new, limited-edition Botivo x Berry Bros. Barrel-Aged Aperitivo. ‘This is just using barrel ageing. It’s taking some cues from whisky but it’s more like a Whisky Highball as opposed to a sipping whisky.’
It’s an important distinction to make, as this new bottling, launched on 3 January and popping up on social media ever since, is nothing like whisky. It is, however, a genuine first in the no-and-low-alcohol space. Tasting it neat, the liquid is more akin to a kombucha than anything else. The apple cider vinegar base really shines through – as does a subtle smokiness that comes from the ex-Islay whisky barrels in which the vinegar has rested.
‘We’re taking cues from vinegar and bringing them into the alcohol space,’ Steavenson says. He’s chatting to me over the phone from Lannock Farm, his company’s Hertfordshire HQ. There’s a hubbub in the background, an audible sense of bustle and excitement. The site has become a community for food-and-drink makers and creatives, he tells me as he steps outside into the comparative quiet.

The high-octane environment comes as no surprise. From chefs to influencers, bartenders to journalists, Botivo has been the non-alc liquid on everybody’s lips. The brand was founded by Steavenson and Imme Ermgassen back in 2021, the pair united by a vision to bring both depth of flavour and craft to the non-alc space. One core product and a handful of limited-editions later (one was a pastis-inspired recipe released in partnership with French restaurant Maison François), Botivo’s latest release takes its influence from the world of whisky.
Botivo’s Barrel-Aged Aperitivo is a genuine first in the no- and low-alcohol space
While the barrel-aged bottling has been released as a collaboration with Berry Bros. (‘We have so many shared values,’ Steavenson says of the famous wine and spirits merchant) the liquid was in development before the very first bottles of regular Botivo even hit the shelves. The partnership came along further down the line: ‘I didn’t actually put this on with Berry Bros. in mind. Given our base is vinegar and honey, it just made sense to me to try barrel ageing.’ Steavenson purchased the ex-Islay casks and filled them with the apple cider vinegar purely to see what would happen over time. ‘Barrel-ageing is very much part of vinegar production,’ he continues, referencing the balsamics that can be aged for decades. ‘It just made sense to try something out.’

What he did tweak, however, was the botanical recipe. The core remains the same: apple cider vinegar, honey and gentian. But while the regular Botivo, released in batches, is made with rosemary, thyme, wormwood and orange zest, the barrel-aged Botivo counts cherry bark and peated barley as its botanicals instead. Steavenson was worried that the original recipe might obscure the smoke and other flavours coming from the oak. ‘I wanted to complement them,’ he says. ‘The worst thing I could have done was to cover up all the hard work of the barrel through the years. It was actually more difficult to make this product.’ Other releases had been more like a blank canvas. ‘I knew what I wanted to do. It was harder to get there.’
Another difference is that the ABV has risen to 1% in the barrel-aged release, due to the residual whisky in the barrels working its way out of the oak and into the liquid. Does he think that will be alienating to his core 0% audience, who may well be proactively avoiding alcohol? ‘I wasn’t quite sure how much alcohol would be taken from the casks; it was a complete unknown,’ he says of the process. The suggested serve for the new release is in a Highball, with soda water, ice and a lemon slice, so the actual ABV consumed will be much lower still, he notes. ‘I actually quite like the fact that it has 1% in it.’ It certainly points to the production story and highlights those all-important casks.
Given our base is vinegar and honey, it just made sense to me to try barrel ageing
Since its launch, Botivo x Berry Bros. Barrel-Aged Aperitivo has been selling like hot cakes. Limited to just 600 bottles, it’s the drink of this low-and-no season. Open Instagram and the bright yellow wax top and charming label are everywhere. But for all that coverage, does it live up to the hype?
I tasted barrel-aged Botivo both neat and with soda. The apple cider vinegar and woodiness (from both the cherry bark and the oak) are front and centre when neat – as mentioned, it really does have the fresh tang of a kombucha. So tangy, in fact, that the smoke feels a little subdued. It does, however, come into its own in a longer drink. There’s a floral lift and herbaceous note in with the smoke – and with a citrus garnish, it makes an ideal pre-dinner palate cleanser. It’s likely to disappoint those hoping for huge peat influence but if you’re looking for a drink on the no-and-low market that still offers complexity, get in quick – I gather there might be one or two bottles still around.