ABOUT

polemic (noun)
/pəˈlem.ɪk/
a piece of writing or a speech in which a person strongly attacks or defends a particular opinion, person, idea, or set of beliefs
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Polemic Aperitif Lab is a distillery focused on unique, experimental, and unconventional libations. Polemic operates at a small scale allowing a flexibility in our recipes and products that would be difficult in a larger distillery. Our aim is to produce drinks that challenge preconceptions of product styles and push the limitations of processing techniques.
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Slow drinks and green production
Polemic is committed to an ethical and environmental approach to beverage production and distribution. To help fulfil our low-waste goals all our postal packaging is made from recycled cardboard. More importantly we use locally made, returnable, wooden six-pack crates for secondary packaging with our wholesale clients. Keep an eye out for them at your local bottle shop or bar and be sure to ask about what was in their most recent delivery. In the future we would like to be able to extend these returnable options directly with our customers. While we are already working on options, until we have a solution that is strong enough to deal with the rigours of return trips using AustraliaPost, using recycled cardboard is the best option we have available at the moment.
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We also strive to minimise our carbon footprint in our production processes, using grid scale renewables for our energy requirements and carefully structuring our equipment to reduce water consumption.
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Surveillance capitalism
Pretty simple: we’re not interested in your data, or in harassing you for sales. We don't have a members' club or subscription service, will never make sales calls, and won't flood your inbox with promotional nonsense. If you’re interested in what we do and want to learn about new products coming out, follow us on our Instagram page, check our website, or ask your local bar or bottle shop what they’ve got coming in.
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Local Ingredients
A spirit should always have a sense of place, and with truly world class produce available at our doorstep, it would be a waste not to showcase it. Our aim at Polemic is to use solely Australian ingredients and botanicals in our products wherever possible. While there are some limits to the practicality of this (for example, juniper berries and cooperage oak are not currently commercial crops in Australia), focusing on what’s available around us helps define the creative direction for our recipe development.
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Ethical Procurement
Regrettably, Australia doesn’t manufacture a lot of things locally anymore. As such, sourcing packaging materials and equipment for a distillery is a truly global affair these days. While we’re a small start-up company without the resources to fully vet supply chains the way larger companies can, we do actively select equipment and packaging suppliers from countries with strong labour laws and human rights records.
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Direct sales are currently only available to customers in metro Adelaide purchasing one or more six-bottle cases. To purchase our products directly, please contact us to set up an account to process your order through our webstore. We’ll also be available for single bottle sales at tasting events and fairs throughout SA and around the country as COVID restrictions permit.