PEMBERTON DISTILLERY
Just north of Whistler in the shadow of the Coast Mountains is a small farming community famous for its potatoes. Pemberton – or Spud Valley, as the locals call it – is worldrenowned and the seed-potato capital of B.C. When planning the small, family-owned distillery, Tyler Schramm knew that those spuds would form the foundation of the company’s handcrafted spirits and that they would be 100 per cent organic. “We really wanted our spirits to reflect the flavour of our region,” says the master distiller. “Even the local water supply, which we use for final dilution, adds to the character of all our spirits.” What he did not fully realize before going to Scotland to complete his training at Heriot Watt University is that there are essentially two schools of vodka: a mainstream version that is heavily distilled to taste neutral, and “this whole other Eastern European school that has historically treated vodka like singlemalt whiskey with unique characteristics,” he explains. Schramm fell in love with the latter. It wasn’t an easy choice at first. The local market wasn’t entirely prepared for the complexities and heavier texture of his early doubledistilled Schramm Organic Potato Vodka, which is better suited for sipping than mixing. (The current triple-distilled recipe is slightly smoother, silkier and subtly sweet with a nutty, toasty aroma.) Shortly thereafter, Karlsson, an even heavier single-distilled potato vodka made by the Swedish master blender who once worked for Absolut, exploded onto the North American market. Trends changed. Tasteless vodka went out of style. And now, Schramm’s loyal fans keep asking him to go back to his original, full-bodied recipe.
604-894-0222 | pembertondistillery.ca Try it at … The Wildflower Restaurant, Fairmont Chateau Whistler Pemberton Distillery’s organic vodka, gin, absinthe and flavoured liqueurs are widely available in bars all over Whistler, including Araxi, Bearfoot Bistro, Bar Oso, Cure Lounge and the Fairmont’s Mallard Lounge. The Wildflower offers a unique spin on Schramm Organic Gin by mixing it into a cold gin tomato soup, prepared tableside.
604-938-8000 | fairmont.com/whistler