FEATURES • BRANDS
Three Peaks: A Spirit Mapped by Land and Patience
May 2025
Words & Photography by The Punch Editors
Some ideas don’t arrive all at once. They simmer quietly at the edges of other plans, waiting for the right conditions–like a breath held for just a little longer. Three Peaks is one of those ideas. The story begins in the foothills of Mount Batukaru, where the mornings are slow and where the air carries the quiet that seems to ask more than it answers. It’s here, surrounded by jungle and ancestral earth, that the team behind Kura Kura Beer planted a new seed-a gin that would grow from the land as much as it would from vision.
The name, Three Peaks, means outward–to the three volcanoes that stand in silence beyond the distillery walls: Batukaru, Agung, and Batur. These aren’t just markers on a map. They’re symbols of scale, of timelessness, of a kind of immovable presence that feels important when you’re trying to create something meant to last.
ROOTED IN BALI
The distillery itself was born in limbo. The still was purchased in 2020, during the long, uncertain stretch of the pandemic. Plans shifted. Timelines stretched. Other projects–like Kura Kura and Santai–moved into focus. But Three Peaks stayed in the background, gaining shape. “We knew we had something,” Putu says. “We just needed to wait for the right moment.”
That moment came four years later with focus.Three Peaks is a London Dry-style gin at its core–clean, structured, and built on a framework of balance. But beneath the juniper lies a Balinese accent: a softness from Persian lime and lemon, both grown just steps from the still. That proximity is important. There’s importance in using fruit harvested from the same land that holds the still, a freshness that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. “It’s subtle, but you can feel it,” Putu says. “That little pop–that’s the land speaking.”
The idea was never just to make another gin. The goal was to make a product that could hold its own anywhere. “It had to feel at home in the best bars in the world,” he says, “but still feel rooted in Bali.” Spirits, unlike beer or seltzer, travel easily. And Three Peaks was designed with that in mind–a passport in a bottle, sharing the flavor of a place and the intention of a team.
FROM BAR TO BOTTLE
To bring that vision to life, Putu brought on Cory–a distiller whose résumé stretches across continents and decades. With a PhD from Heriot-Watt, the world’s leading school for brewing and distilling, Cory isn’t just an expert–he’s a translator of molecules and moments. What makes him different, though, is his path: before the lab, there was the bar. Years spent on the other side of the glass taught him something most distillers forget–what it feels like to drink.
“He gets it,” Putu says. “He understands how it’s poured, how it’s mixed, how it’s meant to make someone feel.” That empathy–between creation and consumption–is part of what makes Three Peaks different. It’s not about complexity for complexity’s sake. It’s about building an experience that’s full, but accessible.
Still, Three Peaks is more than liquid. It’s a reflection of the larger ecosystem that raised it–especially the bartending scene in Bali. Quietly, steadily, the island has become home to some of the most skilled and creative bartenders in the region. One recently placed second at the global Diageo competition, a sign that talent here isn’t just local–it’s world-class.
POWERED BY PEOPLE
Putu sees the spirit as a way to amplify that community. Through cocktail competitions, global residencies, and future collaborations, the goal is to build a platform that extends beyond the product. “There’s so much talent here,” he says. “We just want to give it the visibility it deserves.” That sense of balance–between product and people, between local and global–is in every decision behind the brand. Even the flavor profile is a study in equilibrium. In beer, Putu explains, bitterness must meet sweetness; the body must meet the light. In gin, botanicals must speak in harmony. “It’s all about restraint,” he says. “Knowing when to push and when to let the ingredients breathe.”
The road to this point hasn’t been smooth. Like many independent businesses, the early years were tested. COVID-19 didn’t just delay timelines–it forced a reckoning. But Putu doesn’t view that period with resentment. “Honestly, I’m grateful,” he says. “It taught me how to navigate when things fall apart.”
Since then, the company has grown stronger. Every day is different. Some start with a gym session, others with a morning at the factory or a string of meetings across the island. But when he can, Putu carves out time for the office–a space he describes as equal parts control center and creative lab. “It’s where I can touch base with everyone. It’s where ideas spark.” Rest, when it comes, is short. “After five days away, I start to miss the work,” he says. “Maybe it’s an obsession. Or maybe it’s just passion.”
PROUDLY FORWARD
Alongside Three Peaks and his other brands, Putu also helps run his family’s beverage business-a responsibility he’s taken on as his father transitions into retirement. The days are full. The to-do list rarely shortens. But he doesn’t seem to mind. “That’s just part of it,” he says. “You learn to shift your focus to where it’s most needed. That’s the job.”
As for what’s next–there’s no fixed milestone. Growth for Putu is about shaping brands that last, and more importantly, shaping a narrative that redefines what local means in Indonesia. “There’s still this idea, especially in Jakarta, that imported is better,” Putu says. “That the thing with the foreign label is always more premium.” He doesn’t blame anyone. It’s a mindset built over time. But it’s one he hopes to change–slowly, collectively–alongside other local producers who are raising the bar. “When people start choosing Indonesian products out of pride, not obligation–that’s when we’ll know we’re doing something right.”
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Uncovered Bali is a collective project showcasing the sustainable journeys of carefully selected Bali businesses to a global audience. Each story highlights the unique impact these enterprises have on preserving Bali’s cultural and environmental heritage while driving positive change. Through this project, we aim to inspire global leaders, travelers, and communities to embrace more sustainable practices and appreciate the powerful role that local businesses play in shaping a better future.
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