Experience British Columbia’s Spirits Culture in Vancouver, BC

Canada’s premier showcase and response to the Pacific Northwest’s PROOF event of artisan distilleries takes place Saturday, April 8, with 34 regional, small batch and micro-distilleries pouring samples at the 4th annual BC Distilled festival at the Croatian Cultural Centre.

“We continue to see phenomenal growth in both the size and innovation of the industry in BC. Since 2012 the number of distilleries in the province has grown from less than 10 to close to 40, with more than a dozen set to open in the future,” says the festival founder, Alex Hamer. “The province also continues to outpace the rest of Canada, which has about 65 distilleries spread across the remaining provinces and territories.”

// EVENT DETAILS //

• WHERE: Croatian Cultural Centre, 3520 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC
• WHEN: Saturday April 8th
  • Trade/Media tasting: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
  • Evening tasting: 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• TICKETS: $69.99 CAD + fees
  • ** Tasting samples are not ticketed ** This price is all inclusive. From festival founder Alex Hamer,”I don’t like ticketed tasting events so I don’t want to run one that way.”
  • Purchase tickets here

The event is the year’s best chance to sample the best spirits BC has to offer, in an atmosphere that encourages you to discuss their distinctive qualities with their makers. Most of the distilleries are represented at the show by their distillers and owners, so it’s a great chance to meet the makers and learn about how spirits are made.

Adding to the fun are delicious canapés from Juniper, Timber, Two Rivers, Cascade Room and Lucky’s Doughnuts, as well as drinks from Walter Caesar and Modern Mixers & Elixirs.

If you find a few new favorites, there will be an on-site liquor store selling more than 100 (!) products from all of the participating distilleries—the broadest selection of BC spirits you’ll find anywhere in 2017 (we highly recommend the distilleries bolded below!). 

BC Distilled 2017 participants include:

Ampersand Distilling | Duncan	Monashee Spirits Craft Distillery | Revelstoke
Anderson Distilleries | Burnaby	Odd Society Spirits | Vancouver
Arbutus Distilleries | Nanaimo	Okanagan Crush Pad | Summerland
Bohemian Spirits | Kimberly	Okanagan Spirits | Kelowna & Vernon
Central City Brewing and Distilling | Surrey	Old Order Distilling | Penticton
Crow’s Nest Distillery | Abbotsford	Pemberton Distillery | Pemberton
Deep Cove Brewers & Distillers | North Vancouver	Shelter Point Distillery | Campbell River
DeVine Spirits | Saanichton	Sheringham Distillery | Shirley
Dragon Mist Distillery | Surrey	Sons of Vancouver | North Vancouver
Dubh Glas Distillery | Oliver	Stealth Distilleries | North Vancouver
Fermentorium Distilling Co | Victoria	The Liberty Distillery | Vancouver
Goodridge & Williams Distillers | Delta	The Woods Spirit Co | North Vancouver
Legend Distilling | Naramata	Urban Distilleries | Kelowna
Long Table Distillery | Vancouver	Victoria Distillers | Victoria
Mad Laboratory Distilling | Vancouver	Wayward Distillation House | Comox Valley
Maple Leaf Spirits | Penticton	X Four Vodka | Richmond
Merridale Craft Spirits | Cobble Hill	Yaletown Distilling | Vancouver

 

Proceeds from the event and its charity auction will support the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS), an organization that breeds, raises, trains and supports certified assistance dogs for people living with disabilities and for community care professionals. Consider taking time out of your busy evening to cuddle a few puppies (you certainly won’t need to ask us twice!). Yes, you read that correctly: puppies will be roaming the event with their handlers to socialize themselves in a high stimulant environment as part of their training. This is not a drill!

Legacy BC Spirits Showcases
1633 Manitoba Street, Vancouver

Each tasting will be presented by an expert who will lead the attendees through the various spirits. In addition to the line-up, each tasting will present a spirit that is different from subject of the tasting to give attendees some exposure to something new. Tickets for the following events can be purchased here: bcdistilled.ca/tickets

BC Gins Showcase: April 3rd at 7:00 pm

A flight of six BC gins will be presented. The gins will represent different styles and regions from around BC. Our bonus spirit pairs well with gin. $34.99 CAD

BC Whiskies Showcase: April 4th at 7:00 pm

BC whiskies are slowly starting to emerge on the market. We’ll present six samples to give attendees a rare peek into what’s being produced across the province. We’ll also taste a rare barrel-aged treat from an Okanagan distillery. $44.99 CAD

BC Barrel-Aged Gins Showcase: April 5th at 7:00 pm

Barrel-aged gins offer fans a whole new way to enjoy this spirit, which is often surprisingly different from their un-aged versions. In addition to a selection of these tasty spirits, our presenter will be bringing something completely different to round out the evening. $34.99 CAD

More info about the Spirits Showcase here.

Distillers Dinner @ Forage
1300 Robson Street, Vancouver
April 7th at 6:00 pm

The Distillers Dinner will pair six innovative courses from the restaurant’s outstanding Executive Chef and avid locavore Chris Whittaker with spirits from Odd Society, Sons of Vancouver, Okanagan Spirits, Wayward, Sheringham and Dubh Glas. $78 (Sold out, but there’s a waitlist available).

We’re really excited to see what British Columbia has to offer and with the exchange rate in our favor, the trek will be well worth it!