Jo Chipchase, a wine-drinker, reviews Sentia GABA spirits to see if they can replace Spain’s onslaught of traditional alcoholic drinks…
IF YOU live in Spain, the evening glass of beer or wine can become habitual. It signals the end of the working day (or, for some, the middle!), the start of the fiesta, the downing of tools, and the point where you relax and mingle. Some stereotypical Brits in Spain might turn “happy hour” into a spectator sport. Nothing about that is elegant – and it’s not great for your health either!
That society guzzles alcohol is no surprise. Advertising has long encouraged us to drink alcohol, framing it as therapy and a desirable lifestyle accessory. Relaxing with your crew as the sun goes down. “Wine time is Mummy’s little helper.” However, the marketing never says that alcohol is an addictive intoxicant that can sabotage sleep, raise anxiety levels, and nudge liver markers in the wrong direction.
Spain and its high alcohol consumption
Spain’s annual per-capita consumption of alcohol is higher than the OECD average. We consume around 1.1 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year, compared with an OECD average of around 8.5 litres. That makes Spain one of Europe’s boozier countries.
However, attitudes are starting to shift. With the “sober-curious” movement growing, and surveys showing declining alcohol consumption amongst 14-18 year-olds, compared with previous years, the market for non-alcoholic, “functional” drinks is growing. After all, not everyone wants to spend a sober social evening drinking water, “kids’ soda pop”, or coffee!
This is where Sentia GABA spirits are aimed: creating a sense of light relaxation, without risking a hangover, foolish behaviour, or a drink-drive conviction. Developed in the UK, in a professional lab, Sentia GABA Spirits engage the brain’s GABA system, which is associated with calm and sociability, and enhance the consumer’s mood. The idea is to be relaxed, not inebriated – and definitely not to turn yourself into the village ‘circus’ or the ‘gamba’ (prawn), passed out in the midday sun!
How and why were Sentia GABA spirits developed?
Sentia GABA spirits aren’t just another non-alcoholic drink in a saturated market full of similar 0.0% beverages. They were created from neuroscientific research aimed at providing a functional alternative to alcohol, rather than simply mimicking the taste of wine or spirits. This is a welcome alternative to buying sickly 0.0% cava or fizzy “sin alcohol” beer (in the reporter’s opinion!).
The drinks are the first commercial product from GABA Labs, a UK-based research and innovation company headed by Professor David Nutt and Professor David Orren. The company is dedicated to developing “safer, smarter choices for adult social drinkers.” GABA Labs was founded in 2016, to explore natural and synthetic ways to influence the brain’s GABA system – the same neurotransmitter network that alcohol activates to produce feelings of relaxation and sociability, before “things start to go wrong” for some drinkers who have over-imbibed!
So what exactly is GABA?
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) is the brain’s primary calming chemical messenger. GABA helps to reduce the torrent of signals in your brain that might otherwise become overwhelming. It supports a sense of balance and calmness, while also aiding muscle relaxation, and restful sleep.
The initial effects you feel after drinking alcohol are caused by GABA. Alcohol amplifies the way that GABA functions, initially making you feel the life and soul of the soiree. However, it also interferes with other neurotransmitter systems, leading to impaired judgement, intoxication, and hangovers. Over time, alcohol misuse can degrade the brain’s ability to regulate GABA naturally. Alcohol use disorder is also linked – eventually – to increased risk of several health conditions, including cancer.
Alcohol isn’t great for sleep either. It feels sedating, but actually fragments REM sleep and triggers a rebound of cortisol later in the night. Many drinkers experience this as waking up between 3-5am – with racing heart, busy mind, and vague feelings of dread! The result can then become “hangxiety” the next day. What did I do and say? Etc.
Putting Sentia GABA spirits to the test
South of Granada tested the full Sentia GABA spirits range – Gold, Red and Black. The author is an evening wine drinker, finding red wine soporific. How would she react to a healthier option?
We also handed the Sentia GABA drinks to a local business owner, Mathew Wood of Solving Spain – a social drinker, and a teen (aged 18), who does not drink alcohol regularly but enjoys beer at special events.
The drinks were sampled neat, over ice, and with soda-style mixers, ice and citrus.
What are the ingredients of Sentia GABA spirits?
Before getting to the actual taste, we should explore the ingredients of these functional Sentia GABA spirits.
All three are sold as liquid food supplements, built around aqueous herbal extracts, small amounts of fruit juice concentrate, glycerine and added vitamins B1 and B6 – both involved in nervous-system function. All combine plants long used in calming teas, tonics and digestifs.
Gold is based around gentle calmers and adaptogens: ashwagandha, passionflower, linden flower, lemon balm, rhodiola, hawthorn, holy basil and damiana, with magnolia bark and a modest fruit component to soften the taste of this citrusy option.
Red overlaps with Gold but leans more decisively into fruit and floral notes. Blackberry, Aronia and black carrot concentrates deepen colour and mouthfeel, giving Red a more wine-adjacent character without pretending to be wine.
Black has an ingredient list that is longer and unapologetically bitter: gentian, ginseng, ginkgo, schisandra, bay leaf, rosemary, cola nut, cardamom, star anise and citrus peel. It is, arguably, the most unusual option of the set.
All three contain liquorice, sensibly flagged on the label for those with hypertension – a standard practice and worth noting, though quantities are modest and comparable to many herbal teas.
Take Sentia GABA spirits neat or with mixers
Although the author particularly enjoyed Sentia Red as a nightcap, finding it relaxing, a “great replacement for Rioja”, and a sleep aid, the Gold is definitely more sociable and was everyone’s favourite.
Mathew Wood initially thought that the Sentia Gold looked like ” coffee” but, on trying it, found it “citrusy and nice”. However, he wasn’t a big fan of Sentia Black (“too bitter”) and said that he was unlikely to drink Sentia Red as a wine-replacing nightcap.
Served over ice with soda, Sentia becomes a convincing spirit-and-mixer alternative (‘una cubata’ in Spanish). It looks sophisticated in the glass, tastes adult, and avoids the cloying sweetness associated with many alcohol-free drinks.
Gold works effortlessly neat, with ice or soda – a citrusy treat.
Red fits comfortably into the familiar, relaxing wine ritual.
Black divided opinions over its “medicinal” taste. This, however, was enhanced with soda, a squeeze of lemon, and a small touch of sugar. In this format, it turns into something closer to a classic, bitter, long drink.
The 18-year-old tester also sampled the range. He found Sentia Black “a bit strong”, particularly neat. This is unsurprising for a youthful palate. Bitter flavours are appreciated slowly, through olives, espresso, and time. When a mixer was added, even this adolescent tester found the unfamiliar flavour more approachable. It’s clear that Sentia’s main target market lies with older and more sophisticated palettes.
Verdict – would we buy it?
Sentia GABA spirits aren’t going to replace traditional ‘cubatas’ at town fiestas, or be an instant hit with the notorious British happy hour stalwarts. But, yes, in the author’s opinion, these relaxing drinks can replace the nightly glass of wine that quietly undermines sleep, increases anxiety, and nudges liver markers upwards. They don’t make you feel drunk – they make you feel good. Sentia GABA spirits are ideal for a soiree where you must drive, or work, afterwards. You can remain chilled yet in control – without resorting to the dreaded soda-pop onslaught from the kids’ table!
For those who are into something new, Sentia GABA spirits have a role to play in being sociable sensibly. With spring just round the corner, it’s almost Spain’s fiesta season: this continues for months on end! Booze control over this extended season is arguably necessary. You can look sophisticated, not sozzled.
Gold is the clear entry point and the most palatable in the range. Red suits the wine ritual well. Black is rewarding with a mixer. For anyone looking to activate GABA without launching into a prohibition project, Sentia GABA spirts offer a grown-up option. And, yes, the author would try them all again!
As well as the Sentia GABA spirits, the company also produces a ‘Cask’ whisky alternative, as well as GABA cider and stout. These are surely worth a try as well.
Costing £32 a bottle, Sentia GABA spirts are definitely aimed at the higher end of the market. Discount codes are available, as well as bulk deals, on the company website.