Jewel of the Northwest

From a distance, Victoria, BC has all the hallmarks of a sleepy government town, from its quaint, cozy bistros and boutiques to its easily strollable downtown and the eye-catching turquoise domes of the 19th-century Parliament buildings. But up close, this scenic provincial capital offers more for lovers of quality beers and spirits than meets the eye.

A visit to Victoria should begin at the city’s original brewpub, Spinnakers, perched spectacularly above Lime Bay and only a short drive or 25-minute waterside walk from downtown’s Harbour Airport. Known locally as “Spins,” Spinnakers was born as a British-style pub and brewery, but since its founding in 1984 it has expanded to include a restaurant, guest suites, a bottle shop, and most recently, a distillery.

Although many of Spinnakers’ spirits are produced from 100% malted barley, just like its Mitchell’s Extra Special Bitter and Nut Brown ales, you won’t find any single malt whisky in its cellar. Instead, there is the bright and pleasantly phenolic Knot single malt spirit, aged 18 months in the brewery’s charred stout casks, hence not old enough to be called whisky, as well as Chocoholic crème de cacao, a complex, not-too-sweet chocolate liqueur made from the same malt spirit that’s been macerated with spent cacao husks from a local chocolatier before being sweetened and proofed to 25% ABV.

A short walk from Spinnakers is Driftwood Brewery and Distillery, home to the unapologetically old school Fat Tug IPA. Fat Tug is ubiquitous in Victoria—and throughout southern British Columbia, for that matter— so it’s best to focus on the brewery’s ever-evolving slate of seasonal and limited releases, as well as the distillery’s pair of gins and unique Oyster Spirit, a creamy, briny clear liquor infused with whole oysters.

Crossing the harbor on the Johnson Street Bridge, you come to the city’s finest beer bar, the comfortably rustic Drake Eatery, where spirits take a back seat to 29 rotating taps of British Columbia beer, and the menu is so local that it lists the names of many of the ingredient growers and suppliers. This is your opportunity to sample the wares of British Columbia’s finest and sometimes most obscure breweries, such as Burnaby-based Dageraad and Howe Sound of Squamish.

Almost directly opposite Drake is Fan Tan Alley. Narrow, uneven, and very photogenic, its northern end leads to Fisgard Street and Canada’s oldest Chinatown. Continue across Fisgard to the atmospheric Dragon Alley. From there, it is just a quick two blocks further on Government Street to arrive at Phillips Brewing and Malting.

Another of Victoria’s breweries that branched into distilling, 25 year old Phillips Brewing added a distillery in 2014 and its own malting plant a year later, making it one of the very few brewery-distillery-maltings in North America, and perhaps the only one in a city center. A partnership with local sandwich legend Roast has elevated the taproom menu and aesthetic, while the addition of distiller-blender Kevin Titcomb has helped improve the distillery’s Sanctuary Signature Edition single malt—a light but lively and complex blend of 5 to 9 year old whiskies aged in whisky, wine, and beer casks.

A few blocks around the Upper Harbour, in Victoria’s more industrial district, is the Brass Monkey Taproom, formerly Moon Under Water. Visitors can sample the full assortment of Brass Monkey beers and Moon spirits, but the diverse range of Antifogmatic Bliss whiskies, whether corn, rye, malted barley, or wheat, is not to be missed.

A visit to Macaloney’s Island Distillery does require a taxi or rideshare, but as one of Canada’s finest whisky producers, it’s well worth the journey. Scottish ex-pat founder Graeme Macaloney is the master distiller, and his devotion to single pot still and single malt whisky is unwavering. Of particular note is the Peat Project range, featuring malts smoked on-premise with Pacific Northwest peat.

No trip to Victoria is complete without a visit to Clive’s Classic Lounge and Strath Liquor Merchants, respectively the city’s finest whisky bar and shop, conveniently located around the corner from one another. Add a meal at the nearby, very BC whisky-friendly Courtney Room, and your journey to western Canada’s whisky paradise will be complete.

Hit the Road, Whisky Lover

Outside of Victoria proper, the 150 coastal miles between the city and Campbell River to the north offer a quartet of creative, innovative, and impressive whisky distilleries, beginning with Shelter Point at the northernmost end.

Shelter Point is a true farm-to-bottle operation, growing the majority of the barley it uses. Its flagship 7 year old Classic single malt can rival many of Scotland’s youthful coastal- influenced whiskies, but visitors would be advised to explore the distillery’s more limited releases, like the fruity marzipan-and marmalade-accented 12 year old and the alligator- char oak-aged Ripple Rock single malts.

Just a half-hour south in Courtney is Wayward Distillery, which claims to have been the first distillery in Canada to produce spirits from honey, and donates 1% of its sales to Pollinator Partnership Canada in appreciation of the bees. Its flagship is the floral, buttery Drunken Hive rum, but equally noteworthy is the distillery’s newer whisky program that includes the bourbon-style Unruly Suburban, with sweet and fruity charred oak aromas and a full body that seems more akin to Tennessee whiskey than bourbon.

An hour south of Wayward, in Nanaimo, is Arbutus Distillery & Cocktail Lounge, where single malt whisky shares the stage with a 100% Canadian rye and a blend of separately distilled and aged barley, wheat, and rye whiskies aptly called Canadian 3-Grain. For aficionados of lighter Lowland malts, its Canadian single malt will check several boxes, while the rye sits halfway between the relatively soft Canadian approach and the punchier American straight version. It’s with the 3-Grain, however, that the distillery has really hit its stride, with an attractive citrus-spice nose and medium-bodied orange toffee palate.

An overnight stop in Nanaimo makes for a fine respite from a day of driving and tasting, and provides the opportunity to sample several versions of that famous Canadian sweet, the Nanaimo bar. This is a three-layer square with a base of graham cracker, coconut, and cocoa, a middle layer of custard cream, and a top layer of chocolate ganache, and is almost as popular as the butter tart. Consider the Coast Bastion Hotel as a base, convenient to the city’s Art Gallery and Nanaimo Museum, with higher floors providing stellar views.

The final southward stop is Stillhead Distillery in Duncan, about 45 minutes from Nanaimo. Not quite a decade old, Stillhead has made a name for itself with intriguing cask finishes, like its limited spring release Garry Oak single grain rye, aged 3 1/2 years in charred oak before being finished in once-used barrels crafted from Quercus garryana, the Garry oak, which imbues the whisky with a deep color, clove aroma, and vaguely rum-like character, minus the sweetness. Not to be missed is the distillery’s flagship Islay Cask single grain rye, with a smoked herb aroma and rich flavors of salt, spice, plum, and smoke.

IF YOU GO

Flights to Victoria typically connect through Vancouver, except for Alaska Airlines, which flies direct from Seattle, and numerous Canadian airlines that fly direct from major Canadian hubs. Harbour Air offers frequent downtown-to-downtown service from Vancouver.

Ferries operate from Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington, as well as from Tsawwassen, BC, about 45 minutes from the U.S. border. If walking rather than driving onto the ferry, passengers can take a BC Transit bus or taxi into the city, or rent a car at the terminal.

Driving is unnecessary in central Victoria, as the compact downtown is easy to traverse on foot. In inclement weather or for longer distances, public transit, electric taxis, bike rentals, and rideshares are all options.

Suggested hotels include the historic Fairmont Empress, the luxurious Magnolia and Grand Pacific, more budget-friendly Strathcona—home to the Strath—and cottagey Spinnakers.

In addition to distilleries, the city is home to a large number of highly accomplished breweries, including Hoyne, Île Sauvage, Whistle Buoy, and Herald Street, and is considered a whale-watching paradise, with numerous companies offering tours. For the horticulturally inclined, the world-famous 55-acre Butchart Gardens is a must. With its impressive scenery and attractions, Victoria appeals to every visitor, whisky lovers included.