Alberta Wants to Become the Next Great Whisky Destination
The province has created a legally protected whisky designation and launched an ambitious trail to showcase its distilleries, terroir, and craft spirits.
Our friendly neighbors to the north have created a new category of legally protected whisky. Under the Alberta Whisky Act, whisky labeled "Alberta Whisky" must be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, proofed, and bottled in the western Canadian province. Moreover, it must be made with Alberta water and a mash bill composed predominantly of Alberta-grown grain. The new designation aims to highlight the distinctiveness of Alberta's terroir and whisky-making traditions. The legislation also lays the foundation for the emerging Alberta Whisky Trail, spearheaded by Burwood Distillery.
While not as celebrated as Scotland or Kentucky, Alberta boasts a long and venerable whisky-making tradition. The high prairie, with its cold climate, pristine water, and fertile soil, is ideal for growing rye. Alberta Distillers, founded in 1946 and the oldest distillery in Western Canada, has long been a powerhouse contract producer—more or less Canada's answer to MGP. Now owned by Suntory Global Spirits, it has quietly supplied rye whisky to a host of Canadian and American brands. If you've sipped WhistlePig, Jefferson's, or Very Olde St. Nick, chances are you've tasted rye from Alberta.