Lumsden distiller wins gold medal
Last Mountain’s winning drink made from grain grown nearby in Deer Valley
Roughly six years ago, Last Mountain Distillery got its start in a Lumsden garage. This year, the company won a gold medal at the Canadian Whisky Awards.
The single-cask, 100-per-cent rye whisky that brought home the hardware began its life more than three years ago.
Most of that time it spent aging in a barrel.
“It’s a little humbling,” said Braeden Raiwet, the distillery’s production manager, who noted the award was also vindication after years of uncertainty.
“You’ve put in that work and you’ve had to be patient and wait for it for three years, as a minimum.
“You don’t always know if it’s going to turn out or if the public’s going to receive it well.”
While the company has been distilling whisky for quite some time, this particular barrel (thus, singlecask) is the first to reel in a gold. It also marks the company’s success with rye grain, after experiencing some initial challenges.
“Rye reacts a little bit different in the mashing process than a wheat would. We had a couple mashes almost turn to concrete on us just because we weren’t fully familiar with the process.”
Raiwet himself wasn’t yet at the controls when the award-winning batch was distilled, but he learned some valuable lessons throughout the process.
Now with the medal under its belt, the company can rest a little easier when taking on long-term projects, he said.
“It gives you a little more freedom to play around with different types, different mash builds or different types of barrels.”
This particular whisky has a bit more bite than your average bottle, registering around 60-per-cent alcohol by volume.
“You get a lot more of the flavours that are coming out the barrel at a higher percentage.”
Bottles of the award-winning whisky are still available. More is on the way, but it is currently aging in barrels, Raiwet said before pausing to make an adjustment to the company’s still.
Meredith Schmidt, who owns the distillery with her husband Colin, said Last Mountain products have won awards before, but the gold medal shows that the company is stepping into a new stage.
“We’re kind of proving to the world that the quality of our products is only improving,” she said.
The rye grain used in the whisky, which pleased the palettes of judges in a blind taste test, comes from Deer Valley near Lumsden.
“It’s an accomplishment for Saskatchewan, not just for us,” said Schmidt.
The company also won this year’s best North American craft micro distillery from spirits blogger the Rum Howler.