These spirited gifts will warm hearts and glasses all season long
12 gift ideas for cocktail lovers on your list
Canadian Craft Whisky Comes of Age at the 2023 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition
For the first time in the competition’s six-year history, a whisky wins the Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year.
Fort Beauséjour Peated Single Malt Whisky from Distillerie Fils de Roy in Petit-Paquetville, on New Brunswick’s Acadian coast, achieved the highest score of any spirit entered in the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition (CASC) this year. It is the the 2023 Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year and the first Canadian Whisky to win the award. “We’re thrilled that our eastern artisan distilleries are receiving some well-deserved praise,” CASC founder Alex Hamer said in a news release.
Give Us Five
A B.C. spirit comes out on top for the fifth consecutive year in the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition: cheers to DEVINE Distillery’s Ancient Grains, also the Best in Class Young Whisky.
The grains may be ancient, but a globally unique, made-in-B.C. whisky is making modern history: Ancient Grains from DEVINE Distillery in Saanich is the Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year 2022.
The top-scoring spirit across every category of the national competition, Ancient Grains is also the Best in Class Young Whisky for the third time (so classified because it matures for less than three years, which is the minimum requirement for labelling as “Canadian Whisky”). The whisky was originally created by master distiller Ken Winchester in 2017, using B.C.-grown heritage barley, einkorn, emmer, spelt and kamut, and matured in smaller quarter-casks.
Third-wave terroir
“Terroir” spirits define B.C.’s flavours, culture and sense of place
Comparing B.C. craft spirits from a decade ago to today is like comparing 1970s drip coffee to artisanal, fair-trade Chemex pour-overs. While B.C. has a long distilling and even rum-running history, the first wave of local, small-batch distilleries debuted not even 20 years ago. The second wave happened when 2013 B.C. liquor laws defined “craft” spirits as those using 100 per cent B.C. agricultural raw materials.
Now, a third wave of modern distillers is bottling the flavour and culture of the province, defining the future of B.C. spirits. Follow their progress through distillery newsletters and social media feeds.
B.C. Spirits Gift Guide: 2021 Edition
Start your festive shopping now.
In a holiday season with some international supply-chain blips, shop local—and shop soon!—for B.C. small-batch spirts holiday gifts. Limited-edition and seasonal items sell out fast, so if you happen to miss out this season, get on e-newsletter lists or follow distilleries on social media to watch for the next drop, and be very nice (not naughty) until next year. Many items from last holiday season are bound to be available again, so check out last year’s guide, too.
Hot Buttered Honey Shine
This cocktail created by Naramata Inn bar manager Laura Landrie captures the taste, smell, and warmth of the holidays all in one glass. It’s a festive update on traditional hot buttered rum, with DEVINE Distillery’s Honey Shine Amber, made from B.C. honey, replacing the rum.
• 1 oz Devine Distillery Honey Shine Amber
• 0.5 oz honey syrup (see note below)
• 1 Tbsp Spiced Butter Mix (see recipe below)
• 2 dashes cardamom bitters
• 3 to 4 oz hot water
• Garnish: cinnamon stick