{"id":158828,"date":"2026-09-17T13:41:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedailypour.com\/?p=158828"},"modified":"2026-09-17T13:41:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:41:21","slug":"opius-non-alc-feature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedailypour.com\/article\/sponsored\/opius-non-alc-feature\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Non-Alc Brands That Don\u2019t Mimic Alcohol Are Catching Up With Those That Do"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Opius\"

(Photos: Opius)<\/p><\/div>\n

All we knew for years was: You drink or you don\u2019t. When you drink, you pick a spirit, beer or wine. When you don\u2019t, the alcohol is taken out of all of the above and you\u2019re left with the (literally) spiritless residual value. What\u2019s left is often of little value to consumers, which is why we don\u2019t find many lovebrands among non-alcoholic. The Daily Pour, however, might have found a brand that could turn the tide.<\/p>\n

Non-alc is still often treated as a breakdown of an existing product instead of the build-up of a new one. What we look for in this burgeoning category is a product that is worthy of standing on its own, one that doesn\u2019t need to be masked by mixers or added sugar. In our search to find a brand that redefines the non-alc industry, we met with the guys behind Opius Distillery. 100% Belgian, 100% handcrafted, 100% botanicals \u2014 and it just so happens to be 0% alc.<\/p>\n

Opius’ philosophy on non-alc is fundamentally different from that of the rest of the industry. Leander Beuckels and Lucas Lambrechts, founders of Opius, are in no way anti-alcohol. They\u2019re not targeting anti-drinkers or softly selling non-alc with images of flower fields and smiling pregnant women. They\u2019re quite effectively doing the opposite.<\/p>\n

Opius has mastered the art and craft of extracting flavor from botanicals. It never set out to mimic what you already know. Instead, it engineered a five-week production process combining up to four different techniques to craft four unique flavor expressions from the ground up. Each of these botanical elixirs stands firmly on its own, with a long, lingering bitterness. At the same time, Opius allows you to recreate the cocktails you\u2019ve always loved. Think of your Friday spicy marg, your beloved espresso martini or a dry martini to kick off the weekend.<\/p>\n

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This is where change in the industry comes in. We\u2019re done treating non-alc as a substitute that doesn\u2019t deserve as much care and attention as the more exciting alcoholic options. This Belgian brand is showing how to bring quality non-alc \u2014 by emphasizing craft.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ourselves love a drink, but that doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re always drinking. So when we don\u2019t, we were time after time disappointed by our options. We had to compromise on experience, flavor, length, bitterness and boldness. Just because we\u2019re not drinking doesn\u2019t mean that we\u2019re willing to compromise on all of the above.\u201d says Lambrechts.<\/p>\n

What followed was a meet-up between the founders and a Professor in Alchemy, Dr. Benedict Sas, who had been distilling absinthe and whiskey his whole life. Two young men challenged him to turn his wisdom on distilling and botanicals into bottling non-alc for the first time \u2014 a challenge worth the journey for Professor Sas. Inspired by ancient recipes rooted in alchemy and complex techniques used in the perfumery industry, the four recipes of Opius hit the market in 2020.<\/p>\n

Opius is one of the first brands to bring craftsmanship into the non-alcoholic spirits category. And the care that goes into building this mission peeks through in every detail: sexy bottles and bold, uncompromising branding. Consumers respect the products because Opius treats non-alc elixirs with the same respect as you would for a 25-year-old whiskey.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s as true as the oldest rule they teach you when taking wine classes: When a winemaker takes great pride in their wine, that care often extends to the bottle itself. If you’re browsing the shelf for a good bottle, keep an eye out for thoughtful details, from an unusual bottle shape to a distinctive label, illustration or seal, and you may be looking at a wine made with the same attention to detail. The same philosophy applies to Opius. The brand takes such pride in its elixirs that the bottles are designed to reflect the care that goes into what\u2019s inside. The result? Bookshelf-worthy bottles now served at Michelin-starred restaurants around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have to guess the quality of the wine by just checking bottles, check what farmer thought of his wine as a product that deserved care, a nice stamp, a beautiful detail. Check for a bottle that his own farmer thought was worth the respect, and you\u2019ll buy a good wine.\u201d If you apply this principle to the Opius brand you can see the care that goes into these elixirs. The result? Bookshelf-worthy bottles, served in Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world.<\/p>\n

Interesting to learn more about the switch in non-alc? Check opius-distillery.com<\/a> and simultaneously get inspired by their endless book of cocktail recipes.<\/p>\n

This sponsored article was presented by Opius Distillery<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Scan any liquor or NA bottle to see all expert reviews in one place with the free Daily Pour app<\/a>. Download today!\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All we knew for years was: You drink or you don\u2019t. When you drink, you pick a spirit, beer or wine. When you don\u2019t, the alcohol is taken out of all of the above and you\u2019re left with the (literally) spiritless residual value. What\u2019s left is often of little value to consumers, which is why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":158870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5365,3001],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-158828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-no-low-alcohol","category-sponsored"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t