Taste the Spirit of Alberta at These Six Distilleries

Great ingredients take root here in Alberta and our glacier water is pristine, so it's not surprising that a thriving craft spirit scene has taken hold. Ready to take a deep dive into the Alberta distillery scene and discover the true spirit of Alberta? Perfect, because we have all the details on tap for you.

Edmonton’s oldest distillery

Strathcona Spirits are true pioneers, pumping out uncommon takes on classic spirits. "As one of Alberta's first distilleries, there was no playbook on how things should look, feel or be, so we just moved forward with the creative and limitless ethos of ‘Everything is permitted’," explains Andrea Shubert, Co-owner at Strathcona. "To us this means that no ingredient, method or idea is off the table when it comes to achieving quality."

Most of the wheat used in the distillery comes from a farm just south of Edmonton. It's personally dropped off by the farmer before being milled, mashed, fermented and distilled. The result is a lineup of incredible whiskies, vodkas, gins and more.

Strathcona also uses local flora as much as they can. Their Absinthe Blanche, a gold winner in the Alberta Spirit Awards, contains wild wormwood from Edmonton's river valley. Meanwhile, their Badland Seaberry Gin contains wild juniper from the Badlands and sea buckthorn berries found within the city. They've also dove into the wild world of local fungi, using chaga mushrooms harvested east of the city for their Chaga Mushrum Rye.

Old school spirits in Diamond Valley

Tucked away in the Sheep River valley lies Diamond Valley, home to Eau Claire Distillery, a warm, inviting space sourcing all their grain from within 50 km (31 mi) of the facility.

“Alberta has the best climate for growing barley, and we believe it creates a terroir in our whisky that can’t be replicated in other parts of the world,” states Caitlin Quinn, Master Distiller and Director of Innovation at Eau Claire.

The distillery even grows a portion of their own barley using horse farming methods in the hills outside the town. Some of that grain ends up in every one of their spirits, including their awarded single malt whisky, gins and vodkas.

Ready to get your whisky on? Eau Claire has you covered. Their Batch 7 Single Malt Whisky is their seven-year-old whisky, aged separately in Hungarian, French and American oak barrels. Their Rupert’s Whisky Cream is a whisky lover’s dream, with flavours of vanilla and cinnamon that’ll remind you of melted ice cream.

Get the Alberta experience at Rig Hand

Want the real-deal Alberta experience? It’s waiting for you at Rig Hand Distillery. Just south of Edmonton in Nisku, it’s a short drive from the city and only 7 km (4.4 mi) from the airport, making it a perfect way to start or end a trip.

At Rig Hand, it’s all about the grain-to-glass experience. Walk the distillery grounds, see the crops, discover the process of distilling and even enjoy a tasting room menu loaded with Canadian favourites.

Rig Hand is known for their vodka, rum, gin, moonshine, coffee cream liqueur and much more. In total, they offer 82 different spirits, all of which are made from locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Rig Hand’s Rocking R Whisky is also the first Canadian whisky to be chosen as the official whisky of the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Distilling in the heart of Calgary

Jacques Tremblay and Daniel Plenzik are engineers turned craft distillers. The duo started Bridgeland Distillery in early 2019, focusing on tradition, innovation and terroir. They’re also the only Craft Malt Certified distillery in Canada.

"We source our grains from within 160 km (100 mi) of the distillery," explains Jacques. "Early on we chose to make corn whisky, and we wanted to source the best corn in Alberta. That comes from Taber." For those not in the know, Taber corn is famously sweet and flavourful. The distillery also gets all their wheat, barley, oats and rye from a farm north of the city, RedShed Malting.

When it comes to their other pillars of tradition and innovation, it boils down to the craft. Bridgeland mills, mashes, ferments, distills, barrel ages and bottles 100% of their products in their Calgary location. And as far as innovation, you'll definitely find it here. They're creating spirits you'd normally have to travel the world for: grappa, brandy, corn whisky (Bourbon) and more.

"I’m really proud of our Moscato Brandy," says Daniel. The brandy received a gold medal in the 2023 World Brandy Awards, where Bridgeland was also named the best in the world for its brandy in the Aged 2-3 Years category. Bridgeland also received multiple medals in the 2024 Canadian Whisky Awards, including gold for its Taber Corn Whisky and Wheat Whisky.

European traditions meet local ingredients

An old-world attention to detail merges with Alberta’s rich history of farming and hard work at Burwood Distillery. Burwood sources much of their honey from a family farm east of Calgary. Many of their other inputs, like grains and fruits, are also sourced as close to home as possible. The quality of these local ingredients comes across in their single hive barrel-aged honey spirits, single malt whisky, seasonal gins, vodkas, liqueurs and canned cocktails.

Tour the facility in Calgary's Currie Barracks, then kick back at Veranda at the Stables, the collaborative taproom and spirit from Burwood and Vacay Brew Co. Here you can also try handcrafted pizza, pasta, burgers and more. Want to really get into the spirit? Try your hand at a gin making class. This is a rare chance to dive deep into the process and truly bring your own spin to the classic spirit.

Feel the connection to the land

GrainHenge is shaped by local ingredients and a background in brewing beer. As the other half of Troubled Monk Brewery, GrainHenge brings a different perspective to distilling to give their whiskies a distinct character.

"Alberta's barley often heads across North America, to Scotland and even Japan," explains Charlie Bredo, President of Troubled Monk and GrainHenge. "We grew up surrounded by these breathtaking fields. This connection fuels our excitement and commitment to using Alberta's exceptional grains.”

Local grain delivers remarkable flavours to GrainHenge's whiskies, along with the pristine water of the Red Deer River, which originates near Lake Louise, in Banff National park. The mountain water has a unique mineral profile great for making whisky. "We've experimented with other water sources like well and distilled water. Nothing compares to the Red Deer River," Charlie says.

Standout whisky releases from GrainHenge include their Arrowwood Rye Whisky, using a 100% rye mash, leading to a sweet and complex whisky that goes beyond the usual "spicy" note associated with rye. Their Meeting Creek Whisky is a showcase of the distillery's mastery of malt barley, using the same malts found in their brewery's award-winning brown ale.