by Paula Kully –
Cocktails are all about the right mix. With a surge in popularity for small-batch spirits and artisanal ingredients, I was keen to get behind the scenes of Sidney’s newest Distillery and find out a bit more about the crucial mix of talents needed for success. I discovered four gentlemen who have developed a highly successful, collaborative working relationship based on a common passion for distilling gin. Well, not exactly just gin. They also produce such interesting blends as Sidney Spiced Rum, Craigdarroch Whisky, Left Coast Hemp Vodka and other well-crafted spirits. The team works out of Victoria Distillers, in one of the most enviable locations on Sidney’s spectacular waterfront. They have not only found the perfect mix of spirits recipes but the perfect mix of people and skills in their distilling team.
This team consists of President Peter Hunt, Master Distiller Leon Webb, Distiller Phil Lecours and Distiller David Clark. Each one of them brings specific experience and talent to the table in relation to producing some of the most creative, popular spirits the country has seen. They are certainly garnering a reputation for themselves in North America with awards such as Double Gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2016 for their now famous Oaken Gin and it is only a matter of time before this spills over internationally with their attention to detail and creativity.
Peter Hunt’s family are the founders of what originally began as Victoria Spirits in 2007. They released their first gin in 2008 at the Empress Hotel’s Bengal Lounge and spent the next several years building their brand. When his parents retired, the business was sold to local Grant Rogers and Peter made the move to the new location in Sidney. He brings with him a science background, a wealth of knowledge in the business and the valued history of the company.
Phil Lecours began working as a distiller in 2010. He hails from Montreal and is Peter’s brother-in-law. Phil spent 20 years as a chef including working at Bear Mountain Resort. He brings the “tasting,” or culinary aspect, to the team but also stepped in when Peter was away for four months.
David received his Bachelors in Tourism from Thompson Rivers University and spent several years working as a bartender. He brings the professional balance of customer service and hospitality to the team. The Distillery offers tours of the facility and during my visit, David was my guide. His delivery of the tour was bright, enthusiastic and incredibly interesting! I learnt things like the fact that whiskey is made in discarded bourbon casks as they can only be used once for bourbon, and that brandy is created from distilled wine.
The last, but definitely not least, member of Sidney’s “fab four” is Master Distiller Leon Webb, imported directly from the distillery region of Scotland. But Leon didn’t start his career in distilling. In fact, he spent the first 10 years working in finance before making a radical life change. He quit his job, found a minimum wage job and worked his way through a master’s degree in distilling at Heriot –Watt University in Edinburgh; one of only two universities to offer the course. He applied to a job posting and moved to Sidney to become part of the Victoria Distillers team only a year ago.
Amongst the varied assorted spirits these men work to produce, their latest creation is something of a wonder. Looking back to their roots with the Empress Hotel, they have once again partnered with the Hotel to come up with something completely unlike any other gin on the market. Not only is its taste unique, with the addition of grapefruit and the Empress’ signature tea, but its colour is a stunning purple/blue indigo that changes to a sparkling pink hue when tonic is added. The colour is a result of dried butterfly pea flowers which the Empress bartenders use in their 1908 cocktail. The team tested between 50 to 70 two-litre distillations before finally agreeing on the winning combination which has been named “Empress 1908” in honour of the year the grande old dame was built.
Every so often, the right group of people comes together at the right time, in the right place, with the right circumstances and they create something exceptional. Such is the case with the team from Sidney’s own Victoria Distillers.
