I just got back from a trip to LA and my head is spinning with matters having to do with green in general and organic in particular.

I saw the following on a brochure for the Santa Monica aquarium:

“Printed on 100% recycled content, 100% post-consumer waste, processed chlorine free paper using soy-based inks.”

Once I got past the ‘post-consumer waste’ part, I thought, did they expect people to read or eat the brochure? But, these are important matters and we need to pay attention to what is becoming the “green” lifestyle. Including the alcohol industry.

The June issue of Cheers has a cover story on organic drinking. The following tidbit of information caught my eye.

According to the Greenfield, Ma.-based Organic Trade Association, sales of organic beer, wine and spirits were up last year. Organic beer sales totaled $41 million in 2009, up 11.7 percent from 2008; organic wine sales equaled $161 million, up 7.5 percent; and spirits were up 16 percent with $7 million in sales.

A drop in the bucket, sure, but there is a market for organic alcohol products especially in wine. In spirits, it’s the vodka category that leads the way with dozens of entries although Chatham Imports (Crop Organic Vodka) recently introduced Farmer’s Botanical Gin. In tequila, more and more organic products are entering the market.

The gist of the article seems to indicate that the organic trend in alcohol is here to stay.

A consumer friend who is not in the industry can best sum up my view:

“If organic means smoother, purer, better tasting, I’m all for it. But to tell you the truth, when I’m having a drink, I’m not thinking about hugging trees.”