A CHEF WITH RELISH
The story behind Saskatchewan’s dill pickle vodka
In a province where dill pickles are revered, it’s no surprise Last Mount Distillery’s naturally infused dill pickle vodka is the top selling Saskatchewan-made spirit.
Last Mountain, the province’s first micro-distillery, began in 2010. Owners Meredith and Colin Schmidt started their family-owned and operated business in their two-car garage.
“We put everything we had at the time into (converting) that garage into a distillery,” says Meredith.
A friend of Colin’s started one of the first micro-distilleries in the United States and encouraged the couple to follow suit. A little over a year after opening, they’d moved to the current building in Lumsden.
Last Mountain’s product lineup includes moonshine made from Canadian apples and private reserve whisky. Wheat comes from a farm near Earl Grey, delivered to a bin outside the distillery.
Products, such as Prairie Cherry Whisky, are geared toward Saskatchewanians with fond memories of drinking paralyzers around the campfire. It’s a combo of Last Mountain’s wheat whisky barrel-aged with organic sour cherries from nearby Over the Hill Orchards.
Vodka coolers are a recent addition and are all made with Last Mountain’s naturally flavoured vodka, water or soda. and sugar — sulphites and preservatives are never used.
The distillery’s tasting room is open year-round; visit lastmountaindistillery.com for hours and for distillery tour times. If you take a tour, don’t be surprised to see bags of cucumber, garlic and dill about, just waiting to take on life as that famous vodka.
Last Mountain’s products are in SLGA stores, Sobeys Liquor stores and at the farmers’ markets in Regina and Saskatoon.