Saanich whisky distillery wins ‘Best Canadian New Make’ international award

A Saanich whisky distillery has just been recognized by the 2019 World Whisky Awards for their smooth and creamy single malt spirit.

On Thursday, Victoria Caledonian Distillery’s single malt spirit was named ‘Best Canadian New Make Whisky’ by international judges and whisky professionals – an award that regularly attracts the best and most experienced whisky brands in the world.

See also: Vancouver Island distillery wins ‘Best Contemporary Gin in the World’ prize

“It’s a truly amazing accomplishment for our young distillery which is just 2.5 years old,” said Dr. Graeme Macaloney, Victoria Caledonian Distillery president and whisky-maker in a statement.

“There are some really fantastic distilleries with decades of experience who regularly compete for these awards, which is a testament to the world class expertise that we’ve assembled plus our focus on quality. We’ve got some fantastic spirits in maturation right now and I think Canadians will be blown away with the whiskies we’ll be releasing in 6 months time!”⠀

Victoria Caledonian Distillery brewers take many cues from their Scottish ancestry, using traditional distillation techniques, hand-hammered scottish copper potstills, and BC-grown barley to create their spirits.

“Locally, our exceptional Canadian barley, with island water and air produces a complex but balanced spirit, while bringing a pristine quality to the final drink,” says the distillery.

See also: Victoria ranked #17 among the world’s best beer cities

It’s no wonder that this Saanich distillery won an award for ‘Best Canadian New Make Whisky’, as many of their ‘young’ spirits are rated as highly as batches that are aged for over a decade.

“Victoria Caledonian Mac na Braiche scores 87 points from Malt Maniac whisky reviewer on Whisky Intelligence and 86 points from Gavin D. Smith, whisky writer/reviewer,” reads the distillery’s website.

“Scores in the ‘high eighties’ are typically reserved for 12 year and 18 year old Scotches considered to be great single malts!”

The distillery’s award winning single malt spirit is described as having “very mild aromas of hay and fresh cut wood” with a palate that is sweet, creamy, and soft.

While the distillery doesn’t regularly sell this ‘new make’ itself, eager customers can get their hands on the whisky if they buy the spirit by the cask.

Otherwise, whisky enthusiasts can purchase a regular-sized bottle of the distillery’s Mac Na Braiche, which also won first place at the 2019 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition for young whisky.