Copperpenny Distilling

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

December 9, 2025 No Comments

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.

Bar Bites

Aw, shucks for this umami moment

June 23, 2025 No Comments

Umami, the savoury so-called fifth taste after sweet, sour, salty and bitter, is having a moment in the world of drink. Think Dirty Martinis, whisky made with mushrooms, gin with savoury herbs and olives, or cocktails shaken with miso, saline or soy sauce.

Now distillers are turning to the sea for what might be our favourite umami-rich ingredient yet: the oyster.

12 gift ideas for cocktail lovers on your list

November 20, 2023 No Comments

These spirited gifts will warm hearts and glasses all season long

Mastering Gin at Copperpenny Distilling Co.

February 17, 2023 No Comments

North Van distillery reaps the rewards of craftsmanship

Jenn Kom-Tong and Jan Stenc founded Copperpenny after tasting gins around the world. Photo courtesy of Copperpenny Distilling Co.

Winning a prestigious Global Gin Masters Medal—only a few months after they opened their doors—is just one of the exciting things happening at North Vancouver’s Copperpenny Distilling Co.

“Our key focus here is that we recognize, as a distillery, we are more than a maker of spirits, we are a purveyor of experiences,” says Jan Stenc, co-founder of the distillery along with his partner in work and life, Jennifer Kom-Tong. “The whole idea that it is a meaningful social interaction is super-important to us.”

Features

Cocktails that tell a story

June 17, 2022 No Comments

Three new bars define cocktails, each in their unique way

At Carlino. bar manager Gianluigi Bosco revisits the ingredients he grew up with in Italy. Christopher Giannakos photo

There’s a special camaraderie between keen patron and impassioned bartender. The room design, flavour and atmosphere combine and create fertile ground for storytelling. Luckily, these three new cocktail-forward bars and restaurants that have just opened in Vancouver are more than happy to indulge us.

We stopped by these hot spots to get a taste of what they’re serving.

Recipes

Gin Paloma

June 16, 2022 No Comments

This easy, patio-ready cocktail comes from the tasting lounge at North Vancouver’s Copperpenny Distilling. The fresh citrus and rosemary accentuate the notes of Egyptian coriander and Moroccan grains of paradise in their Social Project Gin 005.

• 2 oz Copperpenny Social Project Gin 005

• 2 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (strained)

• 0.5 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

• 0.5 oz rosemary-infused simple syrup (see note)

• Garnish: Himalayan pink salt rim, dehydrated grapefruit and/or sprig of rosemary

Guides

Map: Here are all the craft distilleries, wineries, breweries, and cideries in North Vancouver

June 3, 2022 No Comments

The craft spirits and beer scene is now booming in North Vancouver, particularly in the burgeoning Brewery District in Lower Lonsdale.

The North Shore will forever hold a piece of Canadian brewing history, as West Vancouver holds the distinction as the site of the country’s first ever microbrewery.

Horseshoe Bay Brewery started brewing beer for the nearby Troller Bay Pub in 1982, long before the craft beer boom exploded on the West Coast decades later.

Horseshoe Bay Brewery is no longer pumping out the suds on the North Shore – although it spawned some other B.C. breweries that are still very much alive – but in its place are now a dozen North Vancouver breweries, a number that seemingly rises each year.

Many of those establishments are clustered in the City of North Vancouver’s burgeoning Brewery District, a neighbourhood that now boasts seven breweries within easy walking distance of each other.

The Alchemist

‘I don’t want to be a dreamer’: These former set decorators are disrupting the landscape of gin distilling in North Vancouver

May 11, 2022 No Comments

Copperpenny Distillery looks like a stunning cocktail lounge but it’s the behind the scenes work that sets them apart.

You won’t find any wide shots of the room on social media because like with their gin, the couple aims to take people by surprise. | @copperpennydistilling/Instagram

One of the statement pieces of Copperpenny Distilling Co.‘s emerald and gold, peacock-esque cocktail lounge is a bunny lamp that made the 7,581 km trek from London to North Vancouver segmented in co-owner and mistress of distilling Jennifer Kom-Tong’s hand luggage. The shade, stashed under the seat in front of her, forced Kom-Tong to spend the nine-hour flight with her legs shoved to the side—but it was worth it.