Feragaia

Wild, a Cornishman who'd worked at Sipsmith and Pernod Ricard, and Garnock, a Scot with experience at Edrington Americas, shared a frustration with the existing alcohol-free market. Most products either mimicked gin poorly or relied on alcohol during production before removing it. They wanted something different: a spirit that never touches alcohol at any point, and that stands as its own drink rather than a substitute for something else.

The name comes from Latin and Greek roots meaning 'wild earth', which suits both the founders' philosophy and their Scottish Lowlands base. Garnock's family farm in Fife provides the setting, with many botanicals grown in a specially planted nursery nearby. The seaweed comes from sustainable harvesting off the Ardnamurchan peninsula.

Production requires patience and quantity. Without alcohol to extract flavours, the team uses temperature-based maceration and steam distillation across fourteen botanicals, including lemon verbena, blackcurrant leaf, chamomile, and sugar kelp. They use roughly six times more botanical matter than a traditional distillery would. Each botanical is distilled separately to preserve its character, then the components are blended and rested for about two months before bottling with Scottish water.

The result pours a natural amber colour. Opening notes of citrus give way to an herbaceous body with chamomile and peppercorn, finishing with a gentle warmth from cayenne. It's designed to make you slow down and think about what you're drinking, not to approximate whisky or gin.

Feragaia earned B Corp certification in 2022, the same year the distillery opened. You'll find them in premium venues like The Ritz and Gleneagles, alongside retailers including Selfridges and Ocado. They ship direct throughout the UK, with a separate US operation for American customers.

In late 2025, independent luxury goods group Chanrossa took a majority stake through R&B Distillers, though Wild and Garnock remain involved as shareholders. The acquisition signals confidence in where the premium alcohol-free market is heading, though whether it changes the character of what Feragaia makes remains to be seen.