PODCAST: Clean Alcohol, Label Lookers, & the Alchemy of Tea

I keep hearing this phrase: clean alcohol.It shows up in product descriptions, social captions, and I hear it from the soccer moms as I wait in line for my decaf Americano. I wasn’t even sure what people meant by it. Was it a health claim? A vibe? Just a marketing buzzword?So I brought the question to someone who lives right at the center of that conversation: Jennie Ripps, founder and CEO of Owl’s Brew, a ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage company built around tea, botanicals, and transparency.Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Jennie and I have known each other for… an almost comical amount of time (depending on which of us is doing the math). We studied abroad together in Athens, Greece, in the late 1990s. We’ve only seen each other in person one other time — randomly, on a street corner in New York CityThen one day I saw her picture in an article in Inc. magazine. Jennie had made it. She was CEO of one of the fastest-growing beverage companies. So this episode felt like both a reunion and a crash course in how the modern alcohol industry actually works.And the biggest surprise?A lot of what consumers think they’re buying… they can’t easily verify.What “clean alcohol” is reacting toJennie’s definition starts simple:Clean alcohol means no preservatives, no additives, no weird ingredients.But the why matters more than the what. Jennie points out something most of us don’t realize: alcohol doesn’t operate under the same regulatory expectations we’re used to with food.You might be someone who avoids high-fructose corn syrup, potassium sorbate, or caramel coloring in your food… and then one night you settle in to watch a show with your main squeeze and pour a cocktail — without realizing you may be drinking those exact same ingredients. That’s because alcohol producers generally aren’t required to disclose them.I’m not trying to be alarmist. I don’t think alcohol is secretly packed with highly toxic ingredients (other than, of course, the alcohol itself). But it is remarkable how many of the most popular beverages we ingest live inside a black box.“Label lookers” and the new trust economyJennie told me Owl’s Brew aspires to be “the most trusted beverage brand in the world.”Yes, it’s a bold statement. (And yes, I told her it was great marketing.)But her point was serious. Consumers are increasingly trained to turn the bottle around and ask:What’s in this?What does “natural flavors” actually mean?How much sugar is in it? How many calories?Why isn’t there a nutritional panel?She calls these people label lookers — and once you hear the term, you realize: that’s a lot of us now.And that’s when it clicked for me. Jennie isn’t trying to sell a wellness brand. We all know alcohol, even on its best day, isn’t exactly health food. Instead, “clean” has become shorthand for something deeper.Jennie’s selling accountability, and I’m buying.Drinking habits are changing — and visibility is part of itWhen I asked Jennie about shifting drinking habits — especially among younger people — she shared the explosion of choice these days. You used to have beer, wine, and spirits. Now theres a ready-to-drink (RTD) category, cocktails with THC, Non-Alcoholic, and low-ABV.She also shared how social media might be reducing demand, but not in the way you might expect. Or maybe you’re smarter than I am and you’re spot on. You’ll just have to listen to the podcast to know.Tea as ritual, tea as alchemySomehow we almost forgot to talk about tea — which is kind of the whole point for Jennie. Probably the second beverage humans imbibed after water, tea is a most ancient beverage.You put leaves in water.The water changes.Something beneficial appears.Alchemy, in the most literal sense.It was nice to hear her passion and expertise on the subject. I’m going to get some genmaicha tea this weekend.As for me? I’m still more likely to pour a finger of bourbon or open a bottle of wine than to drink one of these RTD “clean” alternatives.But I’m definitely paying closer attention to the labels these days.Hope you’ll give this one a listen.Links & References* Owl’s Brew* Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)* Wine & Spirits Ingredient Disclosure * Potassium Sorbate & Sodium Benzoate (FDA Fact Sheet)* Genmaicha (Japanese Green Tea with Toasted Rice)Stay Connected* Follow along on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for video content, reels, and behind-the-scenes thoughts. I’m also on Facebook and LinkedIn.* Say hi on Substack Notes—I’m posting almost every day about my random reflections on life.* Join me in Chat. It’s a space just for subscribers, kind of like a group text but less embarrassing. Download the app, tap the Chat icon (it looks like two speech bubbles at the bottom), and find the latest “Enlightened Omnivore” thread.Enlightened Omnivore is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit enlightenedomnivore.substack.com/subscribe