BEYOND MICROBREWS
Canada’s craft distillers are on the rise
Even if you’re not much of a drinker, by now most of us are familiar with craft beer. Thanks to an emphasis on bold flavours and quality-driven brewing techniques, locally produced lagers have replaced cans of Budweiser at barbecues nationwide. The wine world has experienced a similar phenomenon, with sommeliers across the globe shifting their focus to smaller, artisanal producers. And yet, when it comes to spirits, massproduced varieties continue to reign supreme.
But this, too, has begun changing thanks to an unstoppable new wave of micro-distilleries.
The benefits start with a small production scale, which allows craft distillers to seek out hard-to-find ingredients while deploying handson fermentation, distillation, blending and infusion techniques. Enjoying a standard Jameson and ginger ale is one thing, but unique smallbatch liquors provide distinct and memorable drinking experiences.
Such is the case at Willibald Farm Distillery in Ayr, Ont. Cofounders Cam Formica, and Jordan and Nolan van der Heyden are the only distillers in Ontario to create complex, full-bodied gin by cask aging it in new American oak barrels. Where most commercial gin is typically colourless and unaged, a kiss of new oak gives Willibald’s gin a rich amber colour and intoxicating sweet-spicy quality.
“Being small allows us to be agile and constantly produce new, interesting flavours while only having to answer to ourselves,” Formica explains.
Meanwhile in Vancouver, Resurrection Spirits is distilling similarly boundary-pushing libations with its award-winning white rye. The crystal clear elixir, which is made from 100 per cent organic B.C. grain, can easily be mistaken for gin or vodka. But as it’s swirled in the glass, the spirit releases a robust rye flavour that gives most standard commercial ryes a run for their money.
And beyond opening the door for lesser-known liquor styles, craft distillers are also elevating traditional spirits to new heights. At Wild Life Distillery in Canmore, Alta., distiller Matthew Widmer creates botanical gin with wild foraged Albertan botanicals. Widmer’s gin includes Labrador tea, wild silver sage and herbaceous cow parsnip, drenching each bottle in distinct regional flavour. A visit to the distillery feels akin to driving through the French countryside to sample wheels of creamy Epoisses cheese and bottles of Burgundy. There is simply no other gin drinking experience like it.
On the other side of the country at Halifax Distilling Company in Halifax, N.S., distiller Julie Shore is also bottling regionality with her approachable small-batch rum. Crafted in traditional copper stills in four varieties, Shore’s rums are refining longstanding East Coast rum-drinking traditions.
“Next to beer, rum it is what Maritimers drink,” explains Shore. “Here in the Maritimes the number one selling rum is Captain Morgan’s. But have you ever drank that shit straight? It’s horrible! So I decided to make a better-tasting rum, one you could even drink straight, at the same price point as Captain Morgan’s.”
Thanks to the smooth, easydrinking flavour of Shore’s golden, spiced and black rums, the company has gained a cult-like following among rum drinkers in Nova Scotia. The success encouraged Shore to create a rum cream made with real cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla. “People have actually begun asking for it in the liquor store as ‘that one that’s better than Bailey’s,’” she says.
Similarly exhausted with the proliferation of coolers loaded with added sugars and artificial flavours, Crafty Elk Vodka has begun elevating the world of prepared mixed drinks. Made with organic fruit and vegetable juices, distilled water, ginger and turmeric, the low-sugar vodka-beverages are bottled in London, Ont. and shipped to liquor stores in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. They even contain a nutrition label for anyone concerned about excess calories.
Instead of including healthy or innovative ingredients, many established liquor brands are known to promote their products by way of romantic origin stories. Where each bottle of Johnny Walker blended Scotch whisky makes note of the brand’s establishment in 1820, Jim Beam bourbon proudly details its rich, centuries-old Kentucky history in countless online videos and print ads. These nostalgic histories can be as intoxicating as the liquors they’re intended to sell.
Supporting local craft distillers provides uniquely delicious drinking opportunities. But beyond this, the distilleries also offer a chance to partake in the nostalgia of future generations. As demand for craft spirits continues to increase, many distillers are bound to outgrow their present tasting rooms and warehouses. For now, they offer singular imbibing experiences authentic to their origin cities. The Canadian craft spirit industry is booming, and it’s time to get in on the ground floor. Just as craft beer and wines have improved our drinking landscape, craft spirits are poised to do the same.