B.C. distillery first in Canada to join prestigious Scotch Malt Whisky Society
B.C. distillery first in Canada to join prestigious Scotch Malt Whisky Society
A distillery on Vancouver Island is the first ever in Canada to be welcomed into the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Making a good whisky is a long game, taking years to see the benefits of ones work.
"You make it, you put it in a barrel and you wait," said James Marinus, head distiller at Shelter Point Distillery in Campbell River, B.C.
You let it age for five years, then give it a taste and hope your efforts have paid off. That’s exactly what Shelter Point Distillery began doing in 2011.
"Then five years later, we bottled it and released it," said Marinus.
It was good, just not Scotch whisky good.
"Well, the whisky that we’ve put together in the last few years have been great," said the head distiller.
Marinus is downplaying it, it’s the only Canadian Whisky to ever meet the high standards of the prestigious Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
The club is now exclusively selling a run of Shelter Point’s Single Malt to its members.
"Interestingly enough, Shelter Point didn’t – until a couple of days ago – realize how much of an honour this is," said Adam Bradshaw, whiskey curator at the Strath in downtown Victoria.
Bradshaw says it’s a huge deal that will give the island-based distillery worldwide exposure.
"This is not necessarily about selling more whisky but getting the global recognition of the quality of your whisky," said Bradshaw. "I think that is what is going to start people talking."
Shelter Point Distillery single malt Canadian Whisky is pictured at the Strath in downtown Victoria. (CTV News)The whisky comes from a single cask, retailing for around $250. Getting your hands on one of only 230 bottles isn’t easy.
Only five retail outlets carry the single malt in Canada – the Strath in Victoria being one of them.
"This is going to almost definitely go to a draw," said Bradshaw, pointing to the bottle of single malt. "You won’t be able to just buy this one, you’ll have to enter a draw for the rights to be able to buy it."
Not all hope is lost. In June, the distillery will be releasing a run of 10-year-old whisky, sold by retailers up and down Vancouver Island.
"Which will be some of the oldest whisky we’ve made," said Marinus.
That line of 10-year-old whisky will sell for around $90 a bottle. It’s expected that after the latest recognition from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society those bottles won’t last long on shelves.
"The whole goal is to make a good quality product," said Marinus.
"As time goes on you taste it for yourself and you go, 'well it tastes good to me,' and hopefully the rest of the world likes it," he said. "It turns out, they do."
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
Police have released video of a suspected arsonist who allegedly caused thousands of dollars in smoke and water damage to a building in Vancouver's Chinatown last weekend.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules. Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government. But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
A lawyer for the United States government told Quebec's highest court today that the country should be immune from prosecution for the infamous brainwashing experiments at McGill University from the 1940s to the 1960s.
It's been two weeks since a major fire ripped through a heritage building in the heart of Old Montreal, killing seven people and forever altering the lives of families across the globe. For the families of those who died, the grieving process is only starting.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
Gun policy comments made by then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki in a contentious call to Nova Scotia RCMP officers after the mass shooting in 2020 did not amount to political interference, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) final report concludes.
Two Manitoba hunting outfitters have been fined thousands of dollars and lost their licenses after a four-year investigation revealed numerous violations of the wildlife act.
A judge has acquitted a now-retired priest of forcing himself on a residential school student more than 50 years ago, saying she believes an assault happened but could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt who did it.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
Riley Jolly detailed several injuries he observed on his son, Emerson Whitby, prior to the 18-month-old’s death, during testimony at Court of King’s Bench in Regina on Thursday.
Dog kennels are bursting at the seams as pet owners forced to give up their furry friends struggle with risings costs of living. Despite a rise in cat and kitten adoptions, dog adoptions are down by over 50 per cent.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine are reluctant to speak up when faculty make racist comments, according to a new report from the human rights commission.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
There are exciting plans for Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Sudbury. Built in 1927, the former church was sold after its congregation dwindled and will be transformed into a concert hall.
Shelter Point Distillery single malt Canadian Whisky is pictured at the Strath in downtown Victoria. (CTV News)The whisky comes from a single cask, retailing for around $250. Getting your hands on one of only 230 bottles isn’t easy.
