Eau Claire Distillery sits on a historic property which dates back to the early days of the Alberta oil industry. We have recently acquired over seven (7) acres of field just south of the distillery.
In the late 1920s, four key oil and gas wells were drilled for production – Macleod #1, #2, #3 and #4. The last of these wells were finally decommissioned in summer of 2018. They were the oldest continuously operating wells in the province of Alberta, part of Western Canada’s first commercial oilfield and processing plant in Turner Valley. Macleod #2 and #3 were part of an abandonment and reclamation project led by leaseholder Crescent Point Energy. Such an extensive reclamation project is a true testament to the Alberta oil industries dedication to responsible and sustainable best practises. Crescent Point has done a spectacular job and we are extremely thankful for their commitment to restoring the land of a legacy oil field. Over 7000 cubic metres of clay and soil were either cleaned or removed to ensure the long-term safety and viability of the land for our use as gardens and farming. Now complete after 100 years of production, this property is ready for a new life as part of our Distillery Garden’s project.
Eau Claire is very excited to begin plans for our Distillery Gardens, where we will plant botanicals and a barley crop to produce malt barley for use in our distilling process, and continue with some of our unique horse farming. In late 2018, we planted a forest garden on our west boundary, featuring saskatoon berries, apples, juniper and many other fruits and botanicals that we use in our production. Now, our east boundary will be remediated with a small parking lot and refurbishment of the lawn area behind the 1930 vintage house and garden. We hope visitors will be able to enjoy the property, as we slowly evolve our plans for our Distillery Garden’s project!
We hope to have some exciting new announcements regarding our Distillery Garden’s in the next few months. Stay tuned!
