BC’s craft beer revolution has produced many happy side effects. Obviously, there’s the incredible selection of craft beer that now exists in most liquor stores. That’s pretty rad.
Craft beer has also made us all a little friendlier, I think. The local tasting room has become a social hub for many communities and neighbourhoods, and it’s a far less depressing place to enjoy a beer than many gloomy threadbare pubs and bars. Craft beer brings people together, and that’s a good thing!
Then there are the economic benefits: the province’s 130+ craft breweries and brewpubs employ thousands of people, produce millions in sales, and generate a metric shit-ton of tax dollars. All good things, I think we can agree.
As it turns out, though, the craft beer revolution is also helping spur on the craft spirit scene. Craft beer fans that have ventured down the gin, vodka, or whisky aisles at their local liquor store might have noticed some familiar brands. Central City, Phillips, Yaletown Brewing and Deep Cove Brewing have all gotten into the distilling business in recent years. Trench Brewing and Distilling in Prince George is set open this year, offering both craft beer and distilled spirits. Meanwhile, Victoria Caledonian, makers of Twa Dogs, opened for business last year with the goal of selling beer to British Columbians and single malt whisky to the world.
“The two products are very complementary,” says Graeme Macaloney, founder of Victoria Caledonian. “So it made bang-on sense from a production perspective and from a marketing perspective.”
Producing a distilled spirit requires much of the same equipment and raw materials as brewing beer, so perhaps it’s not surprising so many breweries are getting in on the craft spirit boom. In the case of whisky, which is essentially distilled beer, malted barley is steeped in hot water (without boiling or adding hops) and then fermented to create a beer similar to a pale ale, called a “wash”, clocking in at about 8.0% ABV. The wash is then run through a still, usually two or three times, and then aged for at least three years in oak casks.
Central City began distilling in 2013 and currently has more than 1,000 barrels of whisky maturing away in oak casks, and launched its first single malt whisky, Lohin McKinnon, earlier this year.
Brewmaster and co-owner Gary Lohin says he first got the idea to get into distilling after travelling to Oregon and California and seeing breweries like Rogue and Ballast Point getting into spirits.
“We already have the set-up to make washes, so it made economic sense for us,” he says.
But as much as it was about adding a second revenue stream, Lohin says he just really, really wanted to make some whisky.
“I’ve been passionate about whisky for years, since the ’80s at least,” he says. “So when I saw other breweries doing this, it was a no-brainer for me. I mean, if you can’t have some fun, what’s the point?”
The market for craft-distilled spirits is largely the same as craft beer: the mature, financially comfortable craft beverage enthusiast (because that’s what we call people who like to drink now) who has the disposable income to afford a unique premium product, and appreciates the fact that it’s made here in BC.
“There’s a lot of overlap,” Macaloney notes.
For a fledgling distillery intending to make whisky, there’s at least a three-year gap between the distillation of the first batch and when it’s bottled, sold, and the money starts coming in. Obviously, that’s a long time to go without revenue, which is why many start-up distilleries focus on gin, vodka and other un-aged spirits early on. They can be produced and sold right away, and that money will keep the lights on.
Breweries don’t have to worry about that, of course, as they have beer to sell in the meantime.
“We have a thousand barrels just waiting to go,” says Lohin. “We just keep making it and keep putting it away, because we can.”
That said, Central City has both a vodka and a gin in their lineup. Victoria Caledonian, however, is opting to go “pure whisky” right off the bat, and in addition to their Twa Dogs craft beer line, they are also bottling “vatted” guest whiskies imported from Scotland (at least until their own whisky hits shelves, in about two to three years).
Lohin believes craft brewers are helping to give the very traditional world of whisky and spirits a much-needed kick in the junk (my words, not his). Craft brewers are known for their penchant for experimentation, and Lohin, true to form, has a number of experimental whiskies on the go, incorporating non-traditional grain bills and maltings – including one whisky made with 40 per cent chocolate malt (that’s the roasted brewing malt, not the frozen dessert).
“[Brewers] have the luxury of being able to wait,” he says.
BC DISTILLED
• Into craft spirits? Check out BC Distilled this Saturday, April 8, at the Croatian Cultural Centre – 34 distilleries from across the province (including Central City) will be there, pouring their boozy wares. Don’t worry, there’s tons of food on hand, too, so you won’t have to do this on an empty stomach, which is definitely not recommended. BCDistilled.ca
