Reinventing Spirits
What if you set out to distill a completely innovative product, and end up creating a new spirits category in the process? It happens: here’s how.
The Globe and Mail published a story about (behind a paywall) Distillerie Shefford and Distillerie du St. Laurent in Quebec, two artisan producers experimenting with distilling maple syrup, into an entirely new spirit they’re calling acérum (the Latin word for maple), and have formed the Union des Distillateurs de Spiritueux d'Érable (Association of Maple Spirit Distillers).
Internationally, B.C. entrepreneur Matt O’Brien is a co-founder of a Chilean-based distillery producing Träkál, a spirit infused with unique flavours from Patagonia. Distilled on an apple and pear base (like a brandy), infused with botanicals (like a gin), it has certain kinship with spirits like akvavit, too. It’s so unique that is some countries where it’s stocked, it has its own spirits classification. Read about it in a recent Fortune article.
Openings and Events
Meet Your New Colleagues
La distillerie des Appalaches opened in Levis, Quebec in July. “Our first product, Kepler Gin, already won gold at this year’s Gin Masters award in London,” says CEO Dave Ricard, calling Kepler a “grain-to-bottle contemporary gin” on a corn, barley and rye base, with fresh fruits and Boreal herbs. The distillery is currently oak aging a maple rum.
Wiseacre Farm Distillery, located at the Caldwell Heritage Farm in South Kelowna, expects to open this month. A well-known name in the local food scene, the farm hosted the 11th annual Okanagan Feast of Fields this past August.
The Banff Whisky Experience (September 13–14) brings more than 70 distilleries (including several Canadian artisan producers) to the mountain paradise this month, including a Sunset Terrace named after Banff’s Park Distillery.