With Christmas upon us, it’s the season for gift giving and gatherings. But sadly it can often be a wasteful affair, what with all the gift wrap, shipping, leftover food… the sheer excess of it makes it uncomfortable as we face sustainability challenges and a rising cost of living.
So this year, we’ve decided to keep things distinctly local – that’s local to us in Canada! From local beverages to local foods, we figured we’d stick to our roots this Winter and explore what beautiful British Columbia has to offer. And since we love hosting, what better way to celebrate all things local than to have a Christmas party with our loved ones, where we would get to showcase the local delicacies we found and inspire each other! We figured that by bringing local products to our friends, we’d simplify their local Christmas gift purchasing experience too – because who wants to keep ordering Christmas gifts off online mass market anonymous retailers? Not us!
It was a December evening that we had our friends over – and we’d sourced some of the most delicious local whiskies to enjoy by our roaring fire. The British Columbia whisky scene is surprisingly impressive, and an area we weren’t that familiar with. Turns out that whilst BC wasn’t the birth place for Canada’s whisky production (Nova Scotia was), it remains the most active scene in Canada. We learned that the province’s distillers are at least 3 times as active as those of the United States, based on per capita whisky production. Which is pretty nuts for a country with so much of a smaller population! Vancouver Island is extremely active, as is Vancouver itself, so we were excited to discover some stellar brands to explore.
Local Christmas Gifts for Whisky Drinkers
We figured we’d host our guests with a range of whisky’s to enjoy – whether neat or in cocktails – to showcase all their flavours and have a very merry evening. I finally whipped out the cocktail book I’d got my husband last Christmas to use, sending him off to make me an Old Fashioned as I set up for the guests to arrive.
I put out 3 whiskys to try:
- TRUST Single Malt whisky from Liberty Distillers on Granville Island, in Vancouver
- Shelter Point Classic Single Malt whisky from Tofino.
- Cath-nah-aven Single Malt whisky from Macaloney’s Distillers on Vancouver Island
I poured out small sample pours for everyone to try, and got to work reading up on the stories behind each distillery so I could share more about what they were drinking. Because one of my favourite things about going local is revelling in the stories, meeting the people, and hearing what goes on behind the scenes. There’s something so deliciously intimate about it.
Liberty Distillery on Granville Island is our new resident favourite – a distillery we’ve often walked past when frequenting the island, but haven’t stopped in to enjoy a drink in. The space is cosy with dim lighting, a rustic interior, and a beautiful distillery to peer at through the large windows – which makes for very interesting viewing when sipping your cocktails! We met the owner, Lisa, who told us her story of how she founded the place 12 years ago, and all the incredibly hard work that went into bringing her vision to life. Originally in the corporate space, Lisa had a dream of creating a distillery – and with lots of effort over 4 years of construction, bureaucracy, licensing and zoning challenges…she got there.
Since then, the Liberty Distillery on Granville Island has been offering Vancouver’s first hand-crafted, premium spirits made from 100% BC organic grain. She’s passionate about keeping things organic (even if it makes the costs higher) and devoted to keeping things authentic, high quality, and full of local BC heritage.
They began their distillery with the names TRUTH, TRUST & ENDEAVOUR, which were trademarked and their first beverages. Remarkably, for such a tiny space, they are able to ferment and distill onside following precise recipes. Their handmade copper stills are custom made from Germany, by Master Christian Carl, and have been designed to fit the intimate space of a city distillery. These are unbelievably fascinating to learn more about – Lisa showed us how the tanks can be adjusted to create specific variations of the whiskys, as well as other spirits. It’s amazing what can be done when there’s artisan passion and dedication. Each batch is hand-controlled (nothing is automated or done by mass), so that they can manually check it, and ensure the quality is only the best.
Their bar adjacent to the distillery has some gorgeous cocktails, too. We had the 7th Heaven, a Trust Single Malt Whisky cocktail with Drambuie, Dry Vermouth, Black Lemon Bitters and a Candied Pecan – delicious – whilst my husband had the Eggnog, made with Trust Whiskey Single Cask Bordeaux, and House-Made Egg Nog. I also tried their best seller, the Basford, an Endeavour Gin cocktail with Lemon and Rosemary-Grapefruit Cordial, a very refreshing and light martini style drink, whilst my husband had the Momma Rosa – an Endeavour Pink Gin (coloured naturally!) with Aperol, and House-made Pomegranate Rose Syrup, Egg whites, Lemon Juice and Cranberry Bitters. The menu is extensive and well worth perusing – we will be back to try more, for sure.
We were lucky enough to leave with a bottle of the TRUST Single Malt Whisky, which is a 100% pale malt barley grown in Peace River, British Columbia. This 2-row European style pale malt promises a characteristic blend of fresh barley with background notes of biscuit, grain, honey and hints of nutty and green tea flavor. Triple distilled in their CARL single copper pot still (which we saw when we visited), and aged for 7 years in once-used 220-litre Bourbon barrels this whisky was divine.
We enjoyed it in a cocktail at the distillery before we took it home with us, and when I laid it out to serve for guests, I took a sip to savour the flavours in their pure essence. It’s just so soft! With notes of honey and vanilla, and a pleasant citrusy feel that cuts through the viscosity, it invokes Christmas with its cinnamon nose. The taste is nutty and sweet, lingering with vanilla and honey, and even a bit of almond and biscotti. Very, very delicious!
I asked my husband to make me another Old Fashioned with this whilst I set up the rest of the whisky tastings.
The second whisky we had to taste was Shelter Point from Vancouver Island. We discovered this distillery when we were on the island last year, by Campbell River, and fell in love with the rich fruitiness of its flavour profile. Founded in 2011, Shelter Point Distillery has been staunchly pursuing creating the highest quality single malt whisky’s that they can. This distillery has made the headlines before for its exceptional quality, even being featured in Scottish publications and recognized internationally – no small feat for a local Canadian product! They absolutely have won the respect and admiration of some of the world’s leading whisky writers and aficionados.
Whilst Liberty Distillery will produce others spirits as well as whisky’s, which come in various formations, Shelter Point focuses only on single malt whiskeys. They use the highest quality Canadian two-row barley, grown in British Columbia, and then take a traditional approach: slow fermentations and double-distillation. This is all to create a spirit full of flavour, which is then maturated in a variety of woods from around the world. The whisky is then aged by the pacific ocean on Northern Vancouver Island, where it gets to interact with the wood and rugged elements of the earth.
The 12 Year Old Single Malt, as a result, is deep and complex, with a rich fruity, baking spice nose, reminding us of Christmas fruitcake before giving way to vanilla and caramel notes. Delightful, with even tiny hints of chocolate. We even got a bit of red wine and smoke on the nose, which made it so fascinating to keep sniffing and exploring. It just kept evolving. The mouthfeel is rich and moreish, finishing long and smooth. I knew the guests would want this one with chocolate, so I put out some squares of dark chocolate for fun.
The last whisky I put out was the Macaloney’s, Cath-nah-aven. This distillery, also on Vancouver Island, offers award-winning single malt whisky’s made from the finest Canadian barley, following the traditional craft of Scottish distillers. They’ve earned top honours, including multiple Golds at the World Whiskies Awards and Canadian Whisky of the Year. Their pot stills are hand-hammered from Forsyth and a sight to behold! The distillery will be open for guests next year, and we’re already planning our visit. The team recommended we try the Cath-nah-aven, a best seller, which goes through double distillation using traditional Scottish methods with the finest local British Columbia malted barley.
The idea behind this whisky is to pay homage to the great sherried whiskies from the banks of the river Spey in Scotland. Yet the barrels are from Spain, using, interestingly, premium Oloroso and Pedro Ximenex casks from Andalucia. The result is a fascinatingly complex whisky, redolent of Scotland’s finest yet with surprising red-berry notes, plumminess and fruit notes. It is floral and light on the nose, with some oak, but certainly a more berry-like whisky. It reminded us of sherry, which makes sense since that’s what it’s evoking. Lots of raisins, and some fruit cake, with a fascinating hint of sea salt and sea air (calling out to the Vancouver Island terroir that we were getting across Shelter Point, too). The finish is long and delightful, complex and lingering. Yummy.
I later learned that it’s because of Vancouver Island’s pristine water and gentle maritime air, that these elements create a flavour profile that can’t be replicated anywhere on Earth.
This commitment to flavour also inspired the distillery’s Peat Project™ – Macaloney’s collection of peat-forward whiskies shaped by their innovative on-site “soaker-smoker.” As the only distillery outside Scotland to peat-smoke onsite, Macaloney’s can precisely control peat source and smoke level to perfection. Very cool!
The guests arrived just after I finished setting up and after some preamble, we dove into the whisky’s. I didn’t want to direct folks, so I told the stories of each distillery, and let them choose which ones they wanted to start with. And how quickly they got started!
The guests loved all of the whiskeys and it became clear that local Christmas gift ideas were ablazing. We enjoyed an array of snacks before wrapping up our drinks as it hit 10.30pm and it began to be time to start winding down.
Local Christmas Gifts for Tea Party Lovers
As part of our wind down, we wanted to offer our guests some local tea and treats. Because who doesn’t love some tea after a night of drinking? 🙂
We brought out a local favourite called Tea Sparrow. They’re a local, family owned tea company who, much like ourselves, share a love of black tea, dance parties and the ocean! They’re environmentalists who are passionate about preserving the beauty of BC (and the planet at large), so their brand really resonates with us. As avid hikers and living in BC literally for the stunning nature, it’s hard to stomach the effects of climate change on this stunning landscape.
So Tea Sparrow felt like an apt ending to our evening. Interestingly, the family are able to blend the tea just down the road from their house, making the airmiles basically negative on their production. And they work extremely hard to reduce their environmental footprint in other ways, so make a perfect local Christmas gift if you’re based in BC. Everything is compostable, biodegradable or recyclable and fully traceable, with source information provided for you right on the package. Every single tea bag is fully biodegradable and they use solely biodegradable, hand-stamped pouches for our teas, making the tea pouches even more eco-friendly. Very cool!
They even print their packaging in-house, which is unlike any other tea company we’ve come across. Each pouch is carefully hand-stamped in Vancouver using custom-made stamps and all-natural ink. And guess what? The packaging is biodegradable too. Everything is! We love it.
I whipped out for my guests my favourite from them – it’s called Snowflake, and is a black tea blended with coconut rasps and almond flakes. Whilst they have green teas, and white teas and a whole range of others, this one is my staple. It’s so warming and cosy in flavour, and actually paired absolutely perfectly with the dessert I had in mind for the guests, too.
Because for dessert, I brought out a Vancouver classic – the Lemon Square. This is pretty much a staple for anyone who’s ever been to Granville Island, and unbelievably addictive. This is like a drug to be honest, because whilst I’m not usually a fan of lemon desserts, I am a bottomless pit for these. They’re made with fresh lemons, BC butter, and dusted with coconut – the ingredients are so simple – on top of crushed graham crackers. Every square is hand wrapped. The founders know that they’ve created an addictive dessert, even declaring so on their website. They really are absolutely moreish and make another great local Christmas gift!
Needless to say, we got through a lot of the Lemon Squares and Tea Sparrow tea!
Our guests left at midnight, and we were pleased to see that we’d inspired them to stay local and stay away from the large supermarket brands and online retailers. If we’re going to try to enjoy the beautiful nature we have here, we have to do our bit – and enjoying the local produce this stunning region has to offer, whether it’s for the holidays or for local Christmas gifts, or just into 2026… seems like the least we can do. I know that we are super grateful to have this opportunity to indulge in a guilt-free way!
