Overview: Canada’s whisky scene is a thriving landscape featuring distilleries that span the length of the country. Visitors can find diversity among the bunch comparable to any of the world’s whisky capitals, with options ranging from Saskatchewan prairies to Vancouver’s coastline.
The Full Story
Nearly all featured locations offer tours and tastings, with some providing stunning views or standout cocktail bars. Burwood Distillery in Calgary is housed in the Currie Barracks stables building, which was built in 1936 and is currently on the Alberta Register of Historic Places. Tours are offered on Saturdays, while gin and whisky tours are available back-to-back. Hands-on spirits classes are also offered, including a Whisky Cask Blending Class that allows guests to make a customized bottle of their own whisky blend.
Shelter Point Distillery in Campbell River is nestled on Vancouver’s coastline, where the view alone is worth making the trip. The distillery offers a standard tour and a cocktail tour that takes visitors through the mixing process. Arbutus Distillery in Nanaimo does not offer tours but allows visitors to observe the distilling process through a wide window inside the facility. Black Fox Farm & Distillery in Saskatoon offers unique offerings, such as whisky distilled from triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye.
Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers in Beamsville sources ingredients locally whenever possible. Visitors can see the production process happen right in front of their eyes during a distillery tour. Top Shelf Distillers in Perth offers an expansive tour that takes visitors through downtown Perth, which has whisky woven throughout its history. Patent 5 in Winnipeg is housed in what used to be a stable and sources all grains locally.
Stillhead Distillery in Duncan uses a wide and unique collection of barrels to finish the spirits. Last Mountain Distillery in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, is the first micro-distillery to pop up in the province. Wild Life Distillery in Canmore calls the Canadian Rockies its home, with mountainous design infused into its whisky bottles.
Production & Profile
Shelter Point produces incredible single malt whiskies made with the best Canadian barley on offer and a slow fermentation process. Black Fox Farm & Distillery offers whisky distilled from triticale, a hybrid of wheat and rye. Stillhead Distillery uses a wide and unique collection of barrels to finish the spirits.
Brand & Industry History
The industry history is evident in specific locations such as Burwood Distillery, where the structure itself was built in 1936 and is currently on the Alberta Register of Historic Places. Last Mountain Distillery holds the distinction of being the first micro-distillery to pop up in Saskatchewan.
What This Means
This landscape offers a thriving environment with diversity among the bunch as you’d find in any of the world’s whisky capitals. The scene includes distilleries that produce whisky often alongside other spirits, ensuring there is just as much diversity among the bunch as found in global whisky capitals.
Consumer Takeaway
Every spot on this list will likely have great whisky and offers tours or tastings. Visitors should book distillery tours in advance for Patent 5 and Last Mountain Distillery, where tours are available on Saturday afternoons. Shelter Point offers a quick $10 tasting for those short on time, while Stillhead offers flight tastings with happy hour available Thursday-Saturday.
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