Eau Claire Distillery Blog

Storied Spirits from seed to sip. Read about what Eau Claire is up to here.

Eau Claire Distillery’s Gin and Tonic Refrigerator Pickles

It's That Season Harvest season is upon us, and with temperatures starting to dip down across the prairies, we’re ready to embrace our favourite fall traditions... like pickling! Refrigerator pickles are a quick and easy introduction to the world of pickling. While pickles might be a household name, there’s no shame in stepping this stapl... (more)

Eau Claire Distillery’s COVID-19 Updates

In light of the recent developments with COVID-19, we wanted to share our thoughts and what we're doing as a local company at this time. Visiting the Tasting Room? To ensure the safety our guests, we will be postponing tours & tastings in our Tasting Room until further notice. At this time, we are open 7 days a week, 11am to 5pm for retai... (more)
Gin Flight

At-Home Cocktail Fun!

Fun At-Home Cocktail Ideas We love a good cocktail bar like the rest of you, but when it comes to enjoying your favourite libation at home, there are plenty of ways to make it fun and interesting. When you’re looking for a new way to enjoy cocktails with a small group of social animals at home, try one of these ideas and let us know what you t... (more)

The Eau Claire Distillery Guide to Gin Infusions

It’s Ginuary, which means that we will be celebrating one of our favourite craft spirits, gin, all month long! Dedicating a whole month to gin means that it’s the perfect time to play around with the many ways that you can include gin in your standby and experimental recipes. Plus, gin infusions are also a great way to use some of the lefto... (more)

Batch 003 of Eau Claire Single Malt Whisky Is Here!

Eau Claire's Third Batch of Single Malt Whisky is Here!  With huge anticipation, Eau Claire is pleased to release its’ third batch of Single Malt Whisky; a historic first for the province of Alberta! On November, 21st, 2019, Eau Claire's third batch of Single Malt Whisky will be formally released throughout Alberta at a select few liquor... (more)

Check off Your List: The Foothills Christmas Market Crawl

The Christmas season is upon us! Before you know it, the shops will be packed and the trees will be decorated. Cross every loved one’s gift off your list with the best of local artisans at the many Christmas markets in the Alberta foothills! Here’s our guide to the foothills Christmas Market Crawl!    Calgary Christmas Market - Calgar... (more)

A Trip Down the Cowboy Trail

Just south of Calgary, Eau Claire Distillery planted its roots in the historic town of Turner Valley. While many Calgarians often spend weekends in the city or exploring the Rocky Mountains, the foothills are filled with fun activities, interesting excursions and opportunities to learn more about the checkered history of the area! Here are 6 must-s... (more)

Eau Claire Favourites for National Negroni Week

  Originally created in Italy, the Negroni has become a mixologist’s staple thanks to the cocktail’s perfect balance of both bitter and sweet flavours. The time-tested cocktail is being celebrated this week and, as a well-known gin cocktail favourite, we knew it was time to divulge our top three Negroni recipes for you to try! The ... (more)

Top 7 Caesars in Alberta

Every Canadian’s favourite drink holiday is here: National Caesar Day! With so many Caesars and so little time, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of Alberta’s best places to grab Canada’s unofficial National cocktail.   Calgary The Caesar’s birthplace is undoubtedly the first place anyone must stop to try the delicious, spic... (more)

Eau Claire Distillery Wins Gold in World Whiskies Awards

Eau Claire Distillery’s Single Malt Whisky Batch #002 was entered into the Canadian Single Malt category of the World Whiskies Awards in the beginning of 2019 and recently won Gold in the competition. The World Whiskies Awards is internationally renowned as the global awards competition that recognizes and promotes the world’s best whisk... (more)

Mix It Up: 5 St Patrick’s Day Cocktails by Eau Claire Distillery

St. Paddy’s Day is just around the corner, so we’ve concocted some of our favourite cocktails inspired by the holiday. These irresistible cocktail recipes call for our Prickly Pear EquineOx, Single Malt Whisky, Three Point Vodka and Parlour Gin. Irish or not, you’ll be sure to love the excuse to try out some of these cocktails and have th... (more)

Eau Claire spirits are now available in the United States!

  Eau Claire Distillery's award-winning Prickly Pear EquineOx and Parlour Gin may be purchased at Total Wine stores across California and Florida and at select locations in New York and Illinois. Illinois customers may also order online via BigFish Spirits. Both spirits boast accolades from San Francisco, New York Spirits, Berlin, SIP, 50 B... (more)

Batch 002 of Eau Claire Single Malt Whisky Is Here!

Alberta’s Second Single Malt Whisky Release With huge anticipation, Eau Claire is pleased to release its’ second batch of Single Malt Whisky; a historic first for the province of Alberta! On November 15th, 2018 at 11:00am Eau Claire's second batch of Single Malt Whisky will be formally released throughout Alberta at a select few liquor st... (more)

Parlour Gin Now Available at LCBO.com

Parlour Gin Now Available at LCBO.com Eau Claire Distillery is excited to announce that our world renowned Parlour Gin is now available in limited quantities in Ontario at lcbo.com! Parlour Gin, is an Alberta gin staple, and is one of the most 'decorated' craft Gins in Canada, having won over fourteen major (14) awards in just three years. It ... (more)

Discovery Well To Distillery Tour

Experience Turner Valley! Eau Claire Distillery is excited to partner with the Turner Valley Gas Plant this summer to offer you a one of a kind tour experience! This unique tour combination showcases the historic town of Turner Valley and the rich and interesting history between the oil boom in 1914 and prohibition in 1916. The Discovery Well t... (more)

Interview with the Artist: Claire Markle

  1. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Blairmore, Alberta but spent the majority of my growing up in High River. How did you first get into art? I have always been a visual person but it wasn't until Grade 10 art class at Highwood High School that I genuinely started to realize that I loved it as well as had a t... (more)

Tales of the Cocktail 2017

Tales of the Cocktail 2017 - The Ultimate Mixer! 2017 was Eau Claire Distillery's first year at Tales of the Cocktail. Follow along as David Farran, President of Eau Claire Distillery, tells us about the adventure that is #TOTC. "If there is a sacred pilgrimage for mixologists and bartenders, Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans is it. Thousa... (more)

The Oxen Are Coming!

The Oxen Are Coming! The Eau Claire stable of draft horses and horse farming just got bigger. Welcome to Lion and Bright – two 1800 lb Oxen – who epitomize the expression “strong as an Ox”. They come to us via Nova Scotia, one of the last bastions of the Ox community, where they still raise, train and use Oxen for farm chores, pullin... (more)

Eau Claire Distillery Call for Artist Portfolios

Eau Claire Distillery Call for Artist Submissions! Alberta’s first single malt whisky distillery, Eau Claire Distillery is excited to announce a call for artist portfolios. Eau Claire Distillery is looking to commission a local Alberta artist to help with custom art development for special projects. This is an exciting opportunity for em... (more)

Afternoon G & “Tea”

Join Us for Afternoon G & "Tea" There is something so splendid about Afternoon Tea; a cake stand full of perfectly cut cucumber sandwiches and delicious scones with jam and clotted cream. Eau Claire Distillery has added a fun new flavour of sophistication to the traditional tea and added their own lineup of innovative teapot cocktails to the... (more)

Seven Deadly Gins!

Experience Eau Claire Distillery's Seven Deadly Gins! Eau Claire Distillery recently launched their new summer 2017 cocktail and food menu which includes Tasting Room Manager, Chelsey Coulson's Seven Deadly Gins Menu. Here's how Chelsey created the concept behind such a sinfully delicious idea; "At Eau Claire we are known for our Award W... (more)

Be a Farmer for a Day!

Join Us Saturday, September 17th & Saturday, October 1st! [video width="450" height="338" mp4="http://eauclairedistillery.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ECD_Harvest30_Sec.mp4"][/video]   Come stook grain bundles with Eau Claire Distillery’s majestic Percheron horses harvesting barley at Bar U Ranch National Historic Site. ... (more)

Threshing the Good Grain

Sunshine and generous spirits together at the Parks Canada Bar U Historic Ranch made for a remarkable annual celebration of harvest time. Volunteers, neighbours and friends helped with threshing organic grain all day using antique farm gear and cherished pitchforks. Young and old, farmers and farmers-for-a-day gathered to learn about true craft spi... (more)

The visitor experience – what to expect at the distillery

We have been welcoming tourists and locals alike to our newly built visitor centre for a while now, proving popular with Sunday drivers, tour groups and even a few celebrities! But what can one expect when you visit our distillery for a tour and tasting? The good folks at Calgary is Awesome recently paid us a visit and Kirran Bakhshi wrote abou... (more)

Local talent featured in Salt, Fresh & Field Outpost video

Check out Eau Claire Distillery’s own David Farran and good friends from Alberta Carriage Supply – KT Bailey and Dale Befus – as they are featured in this edition of Salt, Fresh & Field Outpost on YouTube. There are some choice quotes in there and provide a keen insight into why we do what we do. Salt, Fresh & Field Outpo... (more)

Testimonials a Testament to Our Inaugural Year

After the release of Three Point Vodka last summer, there was definitely a buzz in the air and we want to thank those retailers who were among the first to proudly show off Alberta’s first small batch craft spirit on their shelves. Leading into fall, we launched Parlour Gin winning critical acclaim, including a 91 point rating from The Globe and ... (more)

Parlour Gin wins acclaim from the American Distilling Institute

Eau Claire Distillery: Alberta’s first craft distillery has been honoured at the 2015 Craft American Spirits Competition, receiving a Bronze Medal from the American Distilling Institute (ADI) for its Parlour Gin in the ‘Classic Distilled Gin’ category. The Turner Valley based distillery was the only Western Canadian brand recognized amo... (more)

Welcoming a Lovers’ Quarrel

Sparks flying on Valentine’s Day. This is the inspiration to create a cocktail to celebrate our first Valentine’s Day as Alberta’s first craft distillery. We looked North to the Head bartender Tyler Gushaty and the bar team at North 53. This bijoux Edmonton restaurant is known for its exceptional bar program. They were last month awarded ... (more)

Living our ‘farm to glass’ mantra

In one generation, farming has moved from the horse to the tractor, an improvement in efficiency that has transformed world food production a thousand fold. But that transformation, and its wholesale adoption of modern methods, has left traditional horse farming in the proverbial dust. A means of farming that existed for hundreds of years, along w... (more)

Shaw TV enjoys a visit to the distillery

Our friends from Shaw TV stopped by for a tour of our distillery, a bit of tasting, and a quick trip out to the Bar U Ranch to check on the crop. Thanks for the visit. go! Calgary: “Nestled in the hamlet of Turner Valley is where you will find Alberta’s first independent craft distillery… where every aspect of production is from farm t... (more)

True Craft, Strong and Free

Craft Circles In any new and burgeoning industry, questions of definition arise. What exactly constitutes Craft Distilling and how does it differentiate itself from the spirits already established in the market? For us, craft is the embodiment of farm to glass. We believe that a handcrafted product should be lovingly executed in an artisanal... (more)

An idea was born

A Brainstorm As luck would have it, there are more crazy people in the world than just me. Opening Alberta’s first Craft Distillery, while regulations languished in prohibition era legislation, was an undertaking which required a collection of mad entrepreneurs – not just one! For a fleeting moment, the idea of an Alberta Craft Distillery m... (more)

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