BC Distilled – highlighting local artisan distilleries

BC Distilled’s smart tagline reads “locally conscious drinking”. Most people are aware of BC’s burgeoning wine industry, but there are a lot of local distillers making products that people should also be aware of when choosing to support “buyBC”. Thirty-nine distilleries were present at the annual festival held in Vancouver on May 13, in addition to three companies producing non-alcoholic cocktails or mixers.

The tasting was for pure spirit lovers as samples were poured into a shot glass, not mixed in a cocktail. An occasional splash of mixer and a few batch cocktails graced the tables, but otherwise, it was a straight-up type of affair and a perfect opportunity for the distillers to showcase their ingredients.

My go-to spirit is gin, and I was surprised by the variety of botanicals used by different distillers. Some were a typical London style, with a prevalence of juniper berries, but others chose different flavour profiles.

Standouts for me included:

  • Antidote Black Gin – more purple than black in the glass, it had very unusual earthy components imparted by mushrooms, black truffle, and salal berries
  • MadLab VIJ’s Lantern Gin – a spice-forward collaboration with chef Vikram Vij to pair with Indian food
  • deVine Original Dutch Style Gin/Genever – very complex on the nose and the palate with over 20 botanicals
  • deVine Barrel Aged Genever, Dutch Courage – the aging process transforms the genever’s profile into “gin, meet whisky”
  • Indigenous World Gin – with the jar of layered botanicals on display at the table, all locally sourced around the distillery in West Kelowna, the elderberry, sorrel, and borage made it stand out
  • Odd Society Strawberry Wallflower Gin – steeped with Fraser Valley strawberries to make a fragrant and yet surprisingly not too sweet perfect summer sipper

Image Gallery – click thumbnails for slideshow

Whisky was another common spirit category in the room and is the holy grail of many a distiller. In fact, one even admitted even though he would only make whisky if he could, other products they distill are needed for cash flow since good whisky needs time to age and develop. My whisky mentors love their pleated Scotches, so my palate gravitates toward those. A few local examples included:

  • Shelter Point’s Smoke Point – the aging in barrels smoked with seaweed and salt-permeated driftwood epitomizes BC
  • Odd Society Smoke & Oak – brand new release made with rauch-smoked malt

Blended whisky may have a bad rap because of affordable, mass-produced products that line the shelves at local liquor stores, but the Stillhead distiller spent time educating me on how and why master blenders can ultimately create superior products in the bottle, with examples scattered through the room.

In addition to the most common spirits, there was a surprising number of unique categories. I compared four limoncellos varying in colour, sweetness, and production method. There were also multiple producers of amaro, from the classic style made by Arbutus to the Amaro Chiaro (Italian for clear) from The Woods Spirit Company.

There were a few true one-offs fun to sample.

  • Ampersand Nocino – wheat spirit steeped with green walnuts, finished with cinnamon and allspice
  • Resurrection Spirits Garlic Vodka – created to make the ultimate Caesar
  • Antidote Black Truffle Vodka – upfront truffle treat with limited production
  • MadLab Maple Bacon Schnapps – the bacon wash is more evident on the nose than on the palate
  • Sons of Vancouver Bird’s Eye Chili Vodka – a unique offering amongst their plethora of tiki-inspired options
  • Wayward Distillery Krupnik – the addition of spice to their honey liqueur might make it a perfect ice cream topper

With so many options available from just the distilleries attending the event and even more scattered throughout the province, there is every opportunity to support local. Visit bcdistilled.ca for links to the artisan distilleries, their locations, and the lineup of products available.