The Stellar Single Malts of British Columbia

Photo courtesy beseaphoto.com

Whisky lovers rejoice—the flourishing distilling scene of this Canadian province offers great variety and quality with unique local identity.

WORDS Stephen Beaumont

The land area of Scotland is roughly 30,000 square miles, slightly under one-tenth the size of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Scotland has about 11,600 miles of coastline, when its many islands are included, whereas B.C. claims around 16,000 miles, including its islands. And Scotland boasts a population of just under five and a half million, a shade more than British Columbia’s five million.

Rather famously, of course, Scotland is also home to over 140 distilleries, while British Columbia has…80?

Remarkably enough, it’s true! Quickly and quietly, over the past decade or so B.C. has built its craft distilling industry into one of the largest in North America, with more distilleries than Florida, Colorado or Washington. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, British Columbia holds more distilleries within its borders than do all but four states, each of which, save for Kentucky, has a population several times that of Canada’s westernmost province.

Beyond this distillery largesse, however, there is something else about the B.C. spirits industry worthy of note, that which begets the comparison to Scotland. It is, of course, single-malt whisky.

While British Columbia’s craft distilleries were not the first in Canada to embrace single-malt whisky­ production—­that would be Nova Scotia’s Glen Breton, North America’s first modern single-malt whisky distillery, which finally released its debut­ whisky in 2000 and is still going strong today—­they are certainly the most fervent. In fact, it seems hardly a month goes by these days without the news of yet another B.C. malt hitting the market, and with a minimum of 13 distilleries commercially producing some quantity of single malt today,­ the province’s distillers are about three times as prolific as are those of the United States, based on per capita malt whisky production.

Devine Distillery-grown Khorasan wheat / Courtesy Devine Distillery

More impressive than quantity or enthusiasm, though, is the nature of the single malts being produced. For much as is the case in Scotland, while the character of B.C. single malts is unabashedly diverse, there is something that lines them all up as uniquely British Columbian. Call it, if you will, a sort of provincial terroir.

“I absolutely believe in Island terroir,” says Kevin Titcomb of Devine Distillery, in reference to the five distilleries producing single malt on Vancouver Island. “We have a nearby farmer with a maltings, so it’s all very local, and we set out from the start to capture the terroir of where we are.”

Slightly up-island in Duncan, Brennan Colebank of the Stillhead Distillery voices his agreement.

“From my experience, I’d say that the local malt is in some ways inferior to that of the big malt-producing companies,” he says, “But for me that’s almost incidental, since what we use really speaks to our place.”

Tyler Dyck of Okanagan Spirits / Courtesy Okanagan Spirits

This grain-driven terroir continues on the mainland and in the B.C. interior, largely because most distilleries adhere to the regulations governing the BC Craft designation (see page 57), which mandates the use of British Columbia-grown ingredients. It’s a program that not only promotes B.C. barley, but also gives the distilleries a sense of stewardship over the land.

Distiller after distiller in British Columbia speaks of the partnerships they have built with local farmers, which enables them to monitor the quality of the barley as it grows, rather than having to wait until after harvest, and encourage the planting of alternate varieties of grain.

“There is a lot of focus today on heritage grains, which tend to be grown by small-plot farmers,” says Tyler Dyck of Okanagan Spirits. “This means a less homogenized crop and less reliance on Big Agra, who want to tell you how to grow it, what fertilizers to use, and so on. Small crop farmers can afford to be more flexible and work with distilleries on specific projects.”

As with any sort of whisky, the grains used are only half the story, with the balance dictated by where and how the spirit is aged. Here, too, B.C. emulates Scotland to a large degree.

With miles of coastline, it is easy to see how distilleries like Shelter Point and Devine manage to coax soft maritime accents out of their whisky, but the B.C. interior is also home to some of the driest and hottest regions in Canada, which accelerates aging and provides its own terroir accent. So just as you get a variety of characters in Scottish malts, from light and delicate to bold and peaty, British Columbia is on course to offer numerous branches of climate-driven, distinctly B.C. single-malt whisky.

Even further still, some distillers, like Graeme Macaloney of Macaloney’s Island Distillery, are stretching the notion of whisky terroir further by manipulating their grain in various ways. In Macaloney’s case, that means combining locally sourced peat with hand-­harvested seaweed in his custom-designed malt smoker, to create a peated malt quite unlike any other.

The most exciting part of the British Columbia single-malt story, of course, is that all of these efforts are still in their infancy, with much further development yet to come. And given the quality of the whiskies already being produced, that future looks very bright, indeed—perhaps even Scotland bright.

DEFINING BC CRAFT

One of the reasons, perhaps the main reason, that British Columbia is home to a such a large number of distilleries is the “BC Craft” designation established by the provincial government in 2013.

This legislation provides beneficial tax breaks for distilleries which produce a maximum of 50,000 liters of spirit per year—roughly 5,555 cases of 750-ml bottles—and employ all-B.C. ingredients, save for small amounts of flavorings, such as citrus peel, that do not grow in the province. Further, all fermentation and distillation must occur on-site, so bulk-­purchased neutral-grain spirit is a no-no, and production of ready-to-drink cocktails, aka RTDs, is also off-limits.

As attractive and obviously beneficial as BC Craft is, it also comes with a downside, says Gary Lohin of Central City Brewers + Distillers, a non-BC Craft distillery. To begin with, he says, BC Craft spirits aren’t generally carried in the government-­run liquor stores, meaning that “you lose market access if you go into that system.” The other advantage of not adhering to the BC Craft rules is the ability to use malts other than those produced in the province, he continues. “We are making a chocolate malt whisky, for instance, and we wouldn’t be able to do that if we were BC Craft.”

Stills at Shelter Point Distillery / Courtesy Shelter Point Distillery

BC SINGLE MALTS TO TRY

To read more about the individual distilleries and their whiskies, and find expanded tasting notes for these whiskies plus more, please visit beaumontdrinks.com/category-spotlights

Devine Distillery “Glen Saanich” Single Malt Whisky (45% abv)

Designed specifically to reflect the terroir of Vancouver Island, this elegant and restrained, floral and pear-accented whisky is lightly sweet and spicy, with just a hint of salinity on the finish. A stellar late afternoon sipping whisky.

Dubh Glas “Royal Oaks Single Barrel” Single Malt Canadian Whisky (44% abv)

Distilled in the most desert-like spot in the Okanagan Valley, this young, very small batch whisky offers dry spiciness and wildflower in its aroma, showing maturity well beyond its age, and a younger, more floral sweetness on the palate. Youthfully exuberant, deeply enjoyable.

Fermentorium “Small Talk” Whisky 2021 Blend (41% abv)

Made with barley malted on the premises in Phillips Brewing’s custom-designed maltings, this blend of separately aged malts is a sweet, fruity whisky that grows slightly grassy and woody on the finish. Very well balanced and boding well for the future of the distillery.

Lohin McKinnon “Chocolate Malt” Single Malt Whisky (43% abv)

With 15 percent of its grain bill made up of chocolate malt, usually reserved for the brewing of stout, this has a nose of chocolate and toasted cereal, and a lovely, chocolaty dryness in the body. Mature well beyond its six years and a solid after-dinner sipper.

Macaloney’s “Siol Dugall” Canadian Island Peated Single Malt Whisky (46% abv)

Made with peated malt smoked in-house, this has a gently smoky and softly maritime aroma and more fully smoked, citrusy and toffee flavors with a very dry, lingering peat finish. An any day, everyday sort of malt.

Madlab “Small Batch Quarter Cask #24 Cask Strength” Single Malt Whisky (53.2% abv)

Released only when its barrel is deemed fit for bottling, this three-year-old whisky offers baked apple and nutmeg on the nose and bold fruitiness on the palate. A very pleasant aperitif whisky, no dilution necessary.

Moon Distilling “Antifogmatic Bliss” Single Malt Whisky (42% abv)

Single-cask releases here are typically specialty barrel-finished, so this rum-influenced, chocolaty, raisiny, spicy whisky is a one-and-done. The creativity and style, however, make each new whisky highly anticipated.

Odd Society “Smoke & Oak Rauch Malt” Canadian Single Malt Whisky (46% abv)

One of a series of whiskies made with differently smoked—not peated!—malts, this employs classic German smoked malt to produce an herbal, stone fruit-accented and pleasingly smoky spirit equally suited for sipping before or after a meal.

Okanagan Spirits “Laird of Fintry Fortified Foch Finish” Single Malt Whisky (42% abv)

From B.C.’s single-malt pioneer, this five-year-old, red wine cask-finished whisky offers ripe grape and plum notes on the nose, baked apple, soft brown spice, toasted oak and a hint of dark chocolate on the palate. Lovely, rounded and complex.

Shelter Point “Classic” Single Malt Whisky (46% abv)

From a true farmhouse distillery, which grows over 90 percent of its barley needs, this is a whisky that seems to alternate on the nose between maritime salinity and grain field freshness. On the palate, it is round and rich, with tropical fruit and brown spice. Fully formed and quite delicious.

Stillhead “Cask Strength Single Cask #10” Single Malt Whisky (66.6% abv)

Aged for 5½ years in a heavily charred barrel, when undiluted, this Cowichan Valley whisky sports a deep copper color and offers rich dark chocolate, date and toasted walnut notes, becoming softer and fruitier with the addition of water. Impressively and flavorfully mature.