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Canada’s winningest whiskies

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J.P. Wiser’s 24 Year Old takes top prize at the 16th annual Canadian Whisky Awards

Photo courtesy of Canadian Whisky Awards

Davin de Kergommeaux founded the Canadian Whisky Awards in 2010 to boost the awareness and quality of our homegrown spirit, announcing the winners each January during the annual Victoria Whisky Festival.

Sixteen years later, as he prepares to hand the awards over to a new generation of whisky lovers, he describes the state of Canadian whisky as “diverse and robust,” and says: “Canadian distillers are doing stuff that was unheard of even 16 years ago. What we have is something really exciting and really Canadian.”

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Alchemy in a Bottle: Copperpenny Distilling Co. Sweeps Global Gin Awards

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The North Vancouver craft distillery earned three prestigious medals for its rare Lost Horizon Rare Tea Gin and the soon-to-be-released Ember BC Pine Smoked Gin at a blind tasting competition in London.

Photo courtesy of Copperpenny Distilling

North Vancouver’s vibrant craft spirits scene just received a major gold infusion. Copperpenny Distilling Co. has achieved a remarkable feat by winning an unprecedented triple gold at The Spirits Business Global Gin Masters 2025 in London, England. This prestigious blind-tasting competition, viewed as one of the world’s most highly regarded, recognized the distillery’s deep commitment to innovative, world-class spirits.

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B.C. bars make the list(s)

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The Keefer Bar team. Instagram.com/thekeeferbar photo

Spring, it seems, is list season, at least in the bar community, and some of B.C.s best bars have been recognized by two of the most significant rankings on the continent.

On April 29, North America’s 50 Best Bars released their list at a swish ceremony held at the JW Marriott Parq. Although Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy took the top spot for the second year in a row, and Toronto’s Bar Pompette was Canada’s highest ranked bar at No. 7, two Vancouver bars made the top 50: Botanist Bar at No. 26 and The Keefer Bar at No. 28.

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Toronto’s winning bar scene

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Four city venues make the North America’s 50 Best Bars list

The winning team at Toronto’s Bar Pompette. Jessica Blaine Smith photo

Since opening in 2021, the French-accented Bar Pompette has charmed cocktail lovers across Toronto. Now it’s wooed the judges of North America’s 50 Best Bars, too. When NA50BB announced its 2025 list on April 29 in Vancouver, Bar Pompette landed at No. 7, the best showing for a Canadian bar since the list was first compiled in 2022.

Three other Toronto bars made the top 50 list — Civil Liberties (No. 21), Bar Mordecai (No. 37) and Mother (No. 44) — with another five in the 50-100 list: Library Bar (No. 51), Civil Works (No. 55), Cry Baby Gallery (No. 68), Simpl Things (No. 83) and Slice of Life (No. 96).

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