Canadian Distilleries Step Up To Covid-19
“Another year of world conflict has served to emphasize still further the essential role that our industry generally is playing in the fight to preserve democratic freedom.” These were the words of Hiram Walker Gooderham & Worts Limited President Harry Hatch in 1942. On November 1st of that year, the distillery had ceased production of beverage alcohol and devoted every resource to the war effort. Alcohol was a fundamental ingredient in explosives, synthetic rubber, scientific supplies and medical provisions such as disinfectant.
Hatch was just following a practice established during World War 1, when Toronto’s Gooderham & Worts distillery supported the war effort by producing acetone, a key ingredient in munitions. And Hatch wasn’t a one-man show. Every Canadian distillery, including the Seagram’s powerhouses, distilled alcohol for the war.
Now as the planet wages war on a virus and subsequent hand sanitizer hoarders, Canadian distilleries have once again stepped up to produce disinfectant and sanitizers for the front line: hospital workers and those in need. Kudos to all of them. It’s a growing list, so for now, here are some of the distilleries taking up the effort:
British Columbia
Vancouver:
Anderson Distilleries
Burnaby
Copper Spirit Distillery
Bowen Island
Crow’s Nest Distillery
Abbotsford
Dragon Mist Distillery
Surrey
Gillespie’s Fine Spirits Ltd.
Squamish
Long Table Distillery
Vancouver
Lucid Spirits
Delta
Mad Laboratory Distilling
Vancouver
Mainland Whisky
Surrey
New Wave Distillery
Abbotsford
Odd Society Spirits
Vancouver
Sons of Vancouver
North Vancouver
Stealth Distilleries
North Vancouver
Vancouver Island:
Ampersand Distilling Company
Duncan
Arbutus Distillery
Nanaimo
Bespoke Spirits House
Parksville
De Vine Wine & Spirits
Saanichton
Misguided Spirits Distillery
Parksville
Pacific Rim Distilling
Ucluelet
Salt Spring Shine Craft Distillery Ltd.
Salt Spring Island
Shelter Point Distillery
Campbell River
Sheringham Distillery
Sooke
Stillhead Distilling Inc.
Duncan
Victoria Distillers
Sidney
Wayward Distillation House
Courtenay
British Columbia Interior:
After Dark Distillery
Sicamous
Alchemist Distiller
Summerland
Bohemian Spirits
Kimberley
The Dubh Glas Distillery Ltd.
Oliver
Fernie Distillers
Fernie
Kootenay Country Craft Distillery
Slocan
Legend Distilling
Naramata
Maple Leaf Spirits
Penticton
https://www.mapleleafspirits.ca
Monashee Spirits Craft Distillery
Revelstole
Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery
Vernon and Kelowna
Taynton Bay Spirits
Invermere
True North Distillery
Grand Forks
Wiseacre Farm Distillery
Kelowna
www.wiseacrefarmdistillery.com
Yukon:
Yukon Brewing
Whitehorse
Alberta:
Black Diamond Distillery
Edmonton
www.blackdiamonddistillery.com
Bridgeland Distillery
Calgary
Broken Oak Distilling Co.
Grand Prairie
Burwood Distillery
Calgary
Confluence Distilling
Calgary
Greenwood Distillers
Sundre
Grit City Distillery
Medicine Hat
Last Best Brewing & Distilling
Calgary
Latitude 55 Distilling Co.
Grand Prairie
Park Distillery
Banff
Red Cup Distillery
Edmonton
Skunkworks Distillery
Calgary
Strathcona Spirits Distillery
Edmonton
Two Rivers Distillery
Calgary
Wild Life Distillery
Canmore
Saskatchewan:
Black Fox Farm and Distillery
Saskatoon
www.blackfoxfarmanddistillery.com
Last Mountain Distillery
Lumsden
www.lastmountaindistillery.com
Lucky Bastard Distillers
Saskatoon
Smooth 42 Distillery
Brownlee
Stumbletown Distilling
Saskatoon
Manitoba:
Capital K Distillery
Winnipeg
Patent 5 Distillery
Winnipeg
Ontario:
All Or Nothing Brewhouse & Distillery
Oshawa
Beattie’s Distillers
Alliston
Black’s Distiller
Peterborough
Canadian Mist Distillers
Collingwood
www.brown-forman.com/brands/canadian-mist
Crosscut Distillery
Sudbury
Dairy Distillery
Almonte
Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers
Beamsville
Dixons Distilled Spirits
Guelph
www.dixonsdistilledspirits.com
The Durham Distillery
Durham Region
Forty Creek Distillery
Grimsby
Hiram Walker & Sons Distillery
Walkerville
Junction 56 Distillery
Stratford
King’s Lock Craft Distillery
Jonestown
Kinsip House of Fine Spirits
Bloomfield
Last Straw Distillery
Concord
www.madebyhand.laststrawdistillery.com
Limited Distillery
Niagara-On-The-Lake
Mill Street Distillery
Toronto
Murphy’s Law Distillery Ltd.
Elmira
Niagara Distillery
Niagara Falls
Niagara College Distillery
Niagara-on-the-Lake
North of 7 Distillery
Ottawa
OG Distillery
Larder Lake
Persian Empire Distillery
Peterborough, ON
Reid’s Distillery
Toronto
Rheault Distillery
Hearst
Silver Fox Distillery
Arthus
Spirit of York
Toronto
Still Waters Distillery
Concord
Tawse Winery & Distillery
Vineland
Top Shelf Distillers
Perth
Wayne Gretzky Estate Winery & Distillery
Niagara-On-The-Lake
Willibard Farm Distillery
Ayr
Wolfhead Distillery
Amherstberg
Quebec:
Distillerie 3 Lacs
Salaberry-De-Valleyfield
BluePearl Distillerie
Montreal
Distillerie Carone
Lanoraie
Distillerie de la Chaufferie
Grandby
Cirka Distilleries
Montreal
Distillerie Côte des Saints
Mirabel
Distillerie de Marigots
Caplan
Ciderie Michel Jodoin
Rougemont
Distillerie Noroi
Saint-Hyacinthe
O’Dwyer Distillerie Gaspésienne
Gaspé
Distillerie Puyjalon Inc.
Havre-Saint-Pierre
Distillerie du Quai
Bécancour
Distillerie de Quebec
Quebec City
Distillerie Stadaconé
Quebec City
Vice & Vertu Distilleries
Saint-Augustin-De-Desmaures
The Valleyfield Distillery in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield is contributing alcohol to help ramp up Vice & Virtu’s production.
New Brunswick:
Blue Roof Distillers
Malden
Distillerie Fils du Roy
Petit Paquetville
Gagetown Distilling & Cidery
Gagetown
www.gagetowndistillingcidery.ca
Moonshine Creek Distillery
Waterville
Sussex Craft Distillery
Sussex Corner
Prince Edward Island:
Deep Roots Distillery
Warren Grove
Nova Scotia:
Barreling Tide Distillery
Port Williams
www.barrellingtidedistillery.com
Coldstream Clear Distillery
Stewiacke
Compass Distillers
Halifax
Ironworks Distillery
Lunenberg
Raging Crow Distillery
North River
Steinhart Distillery
Arisaig
Still Fired Distilleries
Annapolis Royal
www.stillfireddistilleries.com
Tipping Point Distillers
Chester Basin
Newfoundland:
The Newfoundland Distillery Company
Clarke’s Beach
www.thenewfoundlanddistillery.com
Labatt’s has also announced they will be making sanitizer at their Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal breweries. It will be donated to front line workers.