You’ve heard of wine tours, pub crawls, and brewery hopping – but have you ever heard of a whiskey trail?
Look no further!
Imagine yourself basking in the summer sunlight with a uniquely crafted whiskey, staring out across expanses of farmland, ocean views, or looking in at an enticing distilling room.
Featuring seven of some of the “world’s best” whiskey distilleries, the Northwest Whiskey Trail stretches from British Columbia all the way down to Oregon—including three distilleries on Vancouver Island!
The trail is described as Graeme Macaloney’s brainchild (the CEO and Whiskeymaker at Macaloney’s Island Distillery). He banded together with six other whiskey distilleries to create the ultimate trail for whiskey enthusiasts and newbies alike.
“Our goal is to showcase the incredible distilleries and whiskies found in the Pacific Northwest, and to provide a fun, educational and memorable experience for visitors,” said Macaloney. “We are thrilled to finally unveil the Northwest Whiskey Trail.”
According to the website, this trek is the first international whiskey trail—making it a completely unique experience that you can begin starting right here on Vancouver Island!
Here are the three featured distilleries featured on Vancouver Island:
Shelter Point Distillery
Listen to the soothing calls of the ocean and overlook 380 acres of farmland as you sip on high-quality single-grain barley whiskey.
This west coast distillery leans into relaxation – with both a patio for the summer and a fireplace for the winter. The perfect place to wind down away from city noise.
Sit back and try their award-winning Vancouver Island Coastal Whiskies!
- Where: 4692 Regent Road, Campbell River
- When: Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Macaloney’s Island Distillery
Happy dance! According to their website, Macaloney’s received a huge award at the World Whiskies Awards for their velvety-smooth pot whiskey, Kildara.
It’s a triple-distilled single potstill marriage between a select combination of Kentucky Bourbon, Spanish Oloroso, virgin American, and Spanish Pedro Ximénez (PX) casks to create a mouth-watering list of notes and complexity.
They’ve had to limit customer purchase to one bottle of Kildara per order to ensure everyone gets their hands on this award winning pot whiskey!
- Where: 761 Enterprise Crescent, Saanich
- When:
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- Sunday to Thursday from 12 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Goldstream Distillery
100% Canadian sourced – all the ingredients that go into the creation of their Goldstream Whiskey is rooted here in Canada.
Not only is this blend aged three years in an oak barrel, they also blend it with their Goldstream Spring Water and finish with their signature toasted Brazilian cherry wood.
And if you needed any other excuse to check it out, Goldstream Distillery also produces a Gin and Vodka.
Open for the summer, their cocktail patio is now available to enjoy on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Where: Whippletree Junction 4715, Trans-Canada Hwy #4A, Duncan (Cowichan Valley)
- When:
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- Sunday to Thursday by appointment only
- Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For those of you hoping to collect them all, there is a trail passport available. Visitors can use it to collect stamps as they try each one. Once it’s filled, you can redeem your passport for a limited-edition Northwest Whiskey Trail Glencairn whiskey glass.
Grab a designated driver and begin your whiskey journey!
