I don’t normally start All But Drams articles with anything personal or nostalgic but two years in I hope you’ll cut me a break. 

Sylva Orchard is the first thing I’ve covered that’s from my home region of the Essex / Suffolk border. I would have travelled past the former Benedictine Abbey where this stuff is cooked up dozens, if not hundreds of times, and spent most of my childhood within a several mile radius of it. For me, this is the most exciting thing to come out of my childhood home region. I was dreading the possibility that it would be cloying, bitter or just terrible. I’m pleased to report my fears were unfounded.

Sylva isn’t brand new, there’s history here. It’s the latest drinks project by Seedlip founder Ben Branson and has had some coverage since the first launch in 2024 but at nothing close to the scale of Seedlip. Many would argue that Seedlip kickstarted the boom in low-no spirit alternatives over a decade ago so I went in expecting a high standard premium product. 

Sylva Orchard is the latest release and it uses plum, apple and cherry wood alongside malted barley. These woods aren’t just shoved in the liquid though.  What separates Sylva from all the other alcohol free whisky alternative we’ve tried is their process of sonic ageing which I’ll let them explain:

It’s a method of rapidly extracting flavour, colour & character from our ingredients. It works by causing many tiny ‘cavitations’ from powerful ultrasonic waves—this action pushing our liquid into & out of our solid ingredients tens of thousands of times per second. This means that we can get the same flavour from our ingredients in a matter of days or weeks that would take traditional processes years to accomplish.

Whether this process is as incredible as the marketing makes it sound isn’t something I can assess but as I uncork my new bottle and get to tasting, I’m quickly convinced.

The initial nose of Sylva Orchard causes a moment of alarm. There’s nothing but furniture polish at first. You might get this note on heavily peated or sherried whiskies and be happy, but here on its own it’s not a pleasant start. Thankfully it quickly gives way to a pleasant minerality and toasted wood. Sitting with the nose I find it’s most reminiscent of Cognac. Yes, apples are there but it’s very earthy and herbal. There’s menthol and anise too, this is what I’d associate with rye whiskey. Overall, this is lovely and complex.

On the palate it’s thin without the alcohol. However, the flavours really work. There’s the fruit coming through a little at the start, think scrumpy cider or apple vinegar, but the main experience for me is a bitter wood tannin, cask char, and caramel. It’s certainly different and better than I hoped. That said, I still find it much more like a Cognac or Armagnac rather than a malted barley spirit. Impressive and without a doubt drinkable neat over ice. 

The finish is short and leans more bitter than bittersweet but I’m okay with that. You’ll still want another sip right away to go back to the more exciting notes which makes this a dangerously easy thing to drink through. Were it sweet all the way through I could probably finish the bottle in a sitting.

Being enjoyable neat is enough of an achievement but the main use of Sylva and its competitors is in cocktails. So I made an Old Fashioned with simple syrup and orange bitters. It goes together beautifully. The extra sweetness and the bitters adds layers of flavour to drink through and all of the Sylva notes are still there. I also tried making a gentler alcoholic cocktail by combining 25mls of single grain whisky and 25mls of Sylva as the base. This worked nicely to add body but anything heavy will bury the Sylva. I tried a high ABV rye for instance, and whilst it was pleasant, the best bits of Sylva were gone.

Trying a Highball with Sylva Orchard wasn’t for me. It needs something else like a syrup to work as otherwise it’s too thin and weak. Not terrible, but not as good as the neat experience and miles from the old fashioned. Mixing with cola is fine but too much dilution means the bitter furniture polish note is the only one to survive.

Overall, Sylva Orchard is impressive but price will be a sticking point. I purchased this bottle with my own money and  I will certainly be buying more. The official site offers free shipping which eases the price pain a little. £40 for 500ml is steep but I’d rather have a small £40 bottle of liquid that makes 10 incredible cocktails, than a cheaper alternative that goes down the sink. Hopefully more bars and restaurants will stock this in the future so people can try it as right now this is the best out there. 

The All But Drams hunt for the best non-alcoholic whisky alternative can pause for now. Sylva has raised the bar practically out of sight.