Get an inside look at how award-winning ARC Spirits are made with Full Circle's new distillery tour

It's hard to believe ARC Spirits has only been around five years.

The local gin brand has been recognized in prestigious international competitions like the Asian Spirits Masters 2023 awards where it earned 3 Golds and 2 coveted Master medals. It was also named one of the "Top 100 Spirits for 2022" by US-based Wine Enthusiast, while Germany-based gin review site Ginvasion.de called it "one of the best gins in the world." 

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Full Circle Craft Distillers — makers of ARC Spirits — have decided to open their Laguna distillery for guided tours.

Several members of the media were invited for a press preview of the tour, with none other than co-founders and husband-and-wife team Matthew and Laurie Westfall showcasing the one-of-a-kind experience themselves. 

The tour starts at the lobby bar, where guests are welcomed with a sweet and refreshing cocktail, the perfect teaser of what is to come.

Before entering the main area, guests are greeted by a gorgeous display of the 28 botanicals used to make ARC Spirits.

These include locally sourced and foraged botanicals like mangos from their family farm in Dasol, Pangasinan, pomelo from Davao, and Benguet pine from Sagada, Mountain Province.

Just a few steps to the main distillery area is what Matthew calls the "star of the show": the state-of-the-art, 450-liter, 7-plate hybrid copper still handmade in Germany that they've named after their French bulldog Maddie.

Maddie was designed to precise specifications to meet the demands of Full Circle Craft's 28-botanical recipe, all while providing unparalleled control and precision for the team so they can "handcraft something pretty special."as they handcraft their spirits.

“Maddie is a workhorse,” Matthew told GMA News Online. “She works without complaint, and works very late nights, and allows us to handcraft something that’s pretty special.”

The still is driven by a programmable logic controller that ensures every drop comes off at the highest possible quality — and with unwavering consistency.

It also allows them to sensitively coax out the essential oils from their botanicals to bring out an incredible range of aromas and flavors.

Full Circle also takes great pride in their American oak barrels with a medium-long toast where the Barrel Reserve Gins rest and pull flavors and aromas from the oak. If you think you're getting notes of vanilla bean, caramel, dark chocolate, brioche, and toasted marshmallow with your ARC spirits, you're not wrong.

What's a distillery tour without a guided tasting flight, right?

Full Circle offers a four-glass flight featuring the full range of spirits along with bar snacks to accompany the experience.

Priced at P1,800 per ticket, the distillery tour will show you how Full Circle brings ARC Spirits to life. The whole thing lasts about two hours long, with some 18 slots open per tour.  

The package also offers a 15% discount on all ARC spirits and access to distillery exclusives.

“This distillery experience is really unique in the Philippines; this is the only distillery that has its doors open,” says Matthew. “That price point allows you to have an interactive hands-on tour, tasting, snacks, and discounts on bottles, a whole bunch of things.”

“And what people leave with is the social capital in their heads of knowing more about craft spirits and the distillery process. That can never be unlearned,” he added. “So we’re actually educating people.”

According to Matthew, "we’re not talking about drinking more, but we’re talking about drinking better, and we’re talking about being selective about what you put in your body."

“As a smarter consumer, as a smarter spirits enthusiast, as someone educated about healthier drinking," he said.

Talking about what makes ARC Spirits the best, Matthew emphasized: “It’s really the narrative of authenticity and really working with traditional techniques and artisanal distillery practices on world-class equipment with no shortcuts, no compromises, and really ensuring everything we do, there’s no other better way to do it.”

Full Circle Craft Distillers Co. is located in Calamba, Laguna.

You can sign up for the tour here. 

— LA, GMA Integrated News