Review of ISH Non-Alcoholic Cocktails and Spirits

The goal of a non-alcoholic drinks producer is to create an alternative so close to the original that few, if any, can tell the difference. So far, ISH is the closest to the real thing we've found.

The Danish "Mindful Drinking Company" was created to give consumers the choice of being simultaneously playful and mindful; "a choice to be social but also sensible. To be present and at the same time practical." We'd say they've accomplished that, and we're not alone - ISH took home 9 medals at the 2021 Bartenders' Brand Awards.

ISH's range of products includes ready-to-drinks (RTD) cocktails: SpritzISH, GinISH and Tonic and DaiquirISH, a rum, a gin, two sparkling wines, and a spritz. We tasted them all. Here are our thoughts on each.

Here's our review of ISH's Alcohol-free Lineup

DaiquirISH: Honestly, we were blown away. Words on a page will never do this one justice, but to put it simply: it tastes like a rum daiquiri! DaiquirISH is an RTD that comes in a can (like all of ISH's RTDs) and we knew we loved it from the first sip. Citrus notes, an amazing burn and roundness from the "spirit" hit you first, followed by slight bitter and pleasant lingering burn. It's tart and sweet like a daiquiri should be, and it really tastes like there's rum in it. Perfect to be sipping on the rocks at the beach.

G&T (GinISH & tonic): This could be the perfect non-alcoholic G&T. Lovely spice and juniper hit the nose, bitter, juniper, and citrus hit the taste buds. It starts sweet and ends bitter, just like the real thing. It's exactly what it's meant to be - simple yet sophisticated. Add a squeeze of lime for a citrus kick and garnish the glass.

SpritzISH: When ISH launched this they took to the streets of Copenhagen to see if people could guess how much alcohol their new spritz contained (zero %) without telling them what it was. Almost everyone guessed it was alcoholic. No one even suspected it was alcohol free. It's that good. You'll notice the colour before anything else - it's right on. Notes of citrus, a touch of cinnamon, bubbles, everything a spritz should be. We were very impressed by the weight of it and the mouthfeel is fantastic, like with real Aperol. Like the DaiquirISH, it comes very close to the real thing, and it's a real contender for our favorite aperitif alongside Lyre's Italian Spritz and Wilfred's Bittersweet Orange & Rosemary Aperitif.

GinISH: It hits all the right notes. Pop the cork and breathe in the botanicals. Sipping, it's generally very well balanced with even heat and a nice burn. Citrus, botanicals, bitter, and burn with slight cucumber notes. Natural botanicals make it cloudy. A lot of the non-alcoholic gins we've tasted are too bland, others too aggressive on bitter, chemicals or spice to compensate for the lack of alcohol. Not GinISH, it's exactly as it should be.

RumISH: It's not easy to mimic the way alcohol envelopes your senses when consumed, but RumISH has just about nailed it. It does it in a subtle, incredibly balanced, natural way. You get that kick, spice and intensity that usually only comes from booze, followed by caramel, vanilla, citrus and oak. It's warm and it's welcome.

You can pick up ISH's full range exclusively from our Bottle Shop.