May 30th, 2020- David Farran Pres.  Eau Claire Distillery, Turner Valley & A Revisit to Tofino Food and Wine

 

David Farran Pres.  Eau Claire Distillery, Turner Valley & A Revisit to Tofino Food and Wine

  

THE SHOW

 For years, a huge percentage of the grains that were grown by farmers in Alberta were shipped to The UK to make Scotch. 80% of all that Scotch was made with Alberta Barley.

The distillers who did make spirits in Alberta , made  whisky in bulk.

Then David Farran  left his management position at Big Rock Brewing and began the dream of starting Alberta’s  first ever craft distillery. Eau Claire was born in Turner Valley South of Calgary.

David Farran

David partnered with brewer and distiller Larry Kerwin in 2014 to launch the first micro distillery in Alberta,  Eau Claire Distillery.

The spirit maker?  Caitlin Quinn, Glaswegian and very talented.

Eau Claire can be found in beautiful Turner Valley..on Sunset Blvd.  Yup.  The old movie theatre and dance hall building built in 1929.

eau claire single malt

I love the fact that they harvest with Percheron horse teams, trained by The Amish. The only people still harvesting by horse.

Does it make for better spirits?  You tell me.

Parlour Gin. Ploughman’s Rye, Cherry Gin, Saskatoon Honey Gin, Dill Pickle Vodka,  Three Point Vodka and Alberta’s first single malt whisky.

Prickly Pear equinOx and many more.

They open their Tasting Room first week in June.

Local farmers. Local grains.

“from farm to glass”

www.eauclairedistillery.ca

 

Remembering The Tofino Food and Wine Festival  (2019)

The Tofino Food and Wine fest was always one of the outstanding events on the calendar.

The Gardens

Sure there were lots of other food and wine gatherings,  in ballrooms, basements and  convention centres. None of them could match holding a wine festival in a beautiful community garden and a RAINFOREST.

Welcome to Tofino

It was organized by Kira Rogers and a wonderful team of volunteers.

We covered the event as part of our Tofino food and craft special.

The Music

Months later a press release arrived from Kira cancelling future events.

“For the past 16 years, our experience in working with the British Columbia LCRB has been positive, constructive, helpful and supportive. In 2019, our 17th year producing this well-loved event, our experience was the opposite: obstructive, hostile, intimidating and rude. We felt like an opponent.”  

Way to go LCRB.

 While we wait for the possible return of this wonderful gathering, I thought I’d offer the interviews we did last year.

Kira Rogers – organizer

Sara Triggs – Culmina Sales and Marketing Manager  Culmina.ca

Rob Hammersley – Owner Black Market Wines  BlackMarketwine.ca

Chris Smith – Island rep for Way West Wines  waywestwines.com

David Gouge – Owner Sea Star Wines. Pender Island  seastarvineyards.ca

Paul Gardner –  Co-Owner Pentage    pentage.com

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Block Party at The Birth Block Vineyard – a series.

Unsworth

Orofino

Row 14 at Klippers

The Hatch

Road 13

Valeria Tait and Ian Sutherland – 2Houses

BC Wine Lovers Cookbook

Ned Bell