A guide to B.C.'s distilleries

by Tracey Rayson

It’s no secret that British Columbians are in good spirits these days. According to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, the volume of craft spirits produced in the province has grown by nearly 400 per cent since 2013. At last count (September 2017), B.C. was home to 39 craft distilleries and 19 commercial distilleries. Akin to the wine industry, regions play a significant role when crafting particular styles. Let this guide be your jumping off point to discovering your favourite B.C. spirits! [Photo courtesy of Tourism Vancouver]

Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley are the largest producing regions for craft spirits with 25 distilleries, including one in Squamish (Gillespies) and one in the Pemberton Valley (Pemberton Distillery). The latter’s claim to fame is the famous Pemberton potato, which produces the world’s only organic potato vodka, gin, absinthe, schnapps and liqueurs. Vancouver’s Long Table Distillery employs traditional distilling practices with their custom-designed copper pot still; they were awarded best gin maker in the 2016 Vancouver International Spirits Competition. The Liberty Distillery on Granville Island uses 100 per cent organic B.C. grains to produce ultra-premium quality spirits – vodka, gin and white and amber whiskey. Burnaby’s Anderson Distilleries crafts a golden gin that exhibits enhanced herbal notes. North Vancouver’s Stealth Distilleries is renowned for its corn vodka, with a hint of natural sweetness and a smooth finish. Abbotsford’s Crow’s Nest Distillery is a family enterprise dating back to prohibition; their spirits include vodka, white rum and spiced rum, all produced with glacier-fed water.

Vancouver Island is home to 14 distilleries including Victoria Distillers, recognized for their “Vic Gin,” Canada’s first premium gin. Arbutus Distillery in Nanaimo makes signature bottles of gin and vodka from local and provincial ingredients; and Sheringham Distillery in Shirley distills gin and akvavit with hand-harvested sea kelp. The Gulf Islands is represented by two distilleries: Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery, which produces vodka with certified organic raw wheat grain and includes on-site malt production; and Island Spirits Distillery on Hornby, where their gin includes botanicals like juniper berries, coriander seeds and licorice root.

These burgeoning regions are home to a total of 19 distilleries, which currently includes eight in the Kootenays. Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery, established in 2004, is B.C.’s first and Western Canada’s oldest craft distillery; they offer more than 25 award-winning spirits, with operations in Kelowna and Vernon. Seventh generation, farming family-owned Old Order in Penticton crafts vodka, gin and whiskey with a focus on local ingredients. After Dark Distillery in Sicamous handcrafts vodka, whiskey and a line of moonshine, using traditional stills and methods. Kelowna’s Forbidden Spirits Distilling Co. handcrafts vodka from B.C. apples (pressed, fermented and 50 times distilled). Oliver’s Dubh Glas (Gaelic for “from the dark water”) uses water from the well on the premises and produces gin and barley. Revelstoke’s Monashee Spirits distills vodka and two liquors in a copper still made by owner (and ex-welder) Josh McLafferty.

Pick your pleasure: rocks, shaken, stirred, straight up or mixed — the option is all yours.