Matt Hofmann (co-founder Westland Distillery) and Bill Ashburn (Forty Creek) to Provide Keynote Addresses at this Fall’s ADC Conference & Canada Whisky Symposium
July 10, 2023 – Vancouver, BC – Icons in the “grain-to-glass” movement in North America's growing spirits beverage sector will anchor two distillers’ conferences taking place in Vancouver this fall.
Matt Hofmann, co-founder of Seattle-based Westland Distillery, will provide the keynote address for the Artisan Distillers Canada (ADC) Conference and Trade Show, which runs from October 23-24, 2023.
Now in its second year, the ADC Conference provides essential information for artisan distillers from start-up and market entry to mature businesses, including peer-to-peer learnings, case studies and how-tos from successful distillers and industry experts through expert-led seminars, interactive panels, and technical workshops.
See the current ADC Conference speaker list.
"The goal of ADC has always been to provide distillers unique access to first-hand knowledge about their craft, and there are few who can match the expertise of this year’s keynote speakers," said Alex Hamer, President of Artisan Distillers Canada. "Canadian distillers can learn a lot from someone like Matt Hofmann, particularly his experience building a small-scale distillery into one of North America's leading producers of quality, regional spirits—we're thrilled that he’s participating."
Matt Hofmann (L) and Bill Ashburn (R).
Master Blender Bill Ashburn, of the award-winning, Ontario-based Forty Creek Distillery, will discuss innovation in whisky in conversation with Canadian whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux, at the inaugural Canada Whisky Symposium, a new one-day event which will immediately follow the ADC Conference on Wednesday, October 25.
"Bill Ashburn is not only one of the country's most-respected whisky experts, he’s one of the few master blenders that every other master blender wants to hear from, especially given the successes of Forty Creek products,” said Hamer. “It’s a real treat to have him kick off the Canada Whisky Symposium and share insights from 35 years behind one of the country’s highest-calibre, award-winning whiskies."
Canada Whisky Symposium will feature technical seminars and panels focusing on whisky-specific topics such as grains and malting, mashing and fermentation, distillation and maturation, and explorations of innovation in regional styles of whisky production.
In addition to featuring two of the distilling industry's most-respected pioneers, this year's ADC Conference & Trade Show will provide networking opportunities for owner-operators, distillers, and thought leaders in Canada’s distilling and spirits sector, including industry suppliers showcasing their products and services in an accompanying trade show.
Both events take place at UBC Robson Square in Vancouver. Tickets for ADC and CWS go on sale in mid-August—for more information and to subscribe to updates, visit conference.artisandistillers.ca
