Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

Grant Stevely stands by still at his distillery

Oliver is known for its wineries, but visitors will soon have the opportunity to sample spirits made at a new distillery just off the highway, north of town.

Owner Grant Stevely is hoping to open the Dubh Glas Distillery in Gallagher Lake in December.

"Gin by Christmas is our goal," he said, as he led a tour of the site.

Stevely spent 18 years working in management for a ski area in Banff before moving to the Okanagan three years ago.

The main reason for his move was to start his own business.

"I knew I wanted to start a distillery, because I've always had a passion for whiskey," he said. "I also saw distilleries as a growth industry in the province, and narrowed where I wanted to be down to the Okanagan, after trips to the wineries here."

He and his business partner began looking for a property, and found the right one near the highway on Gallagher Lake Frontage Road.

They started building over a year ago and had hoped to open in July of 2014, but encountered a few hurdles along the way.

One was the specialized nature of some of the equipment. For example it took a year to get the Holstein still.

"What's happened is a worldwide demand for distillery equipment has put pressure on the manufacturers," he said.

Any new construction, he added, is also a challenge. 

After the still came in, they soon received the stainless steel tanks.

Now that everything is onsite, they are just waiting for the installers to come from Hungary and California.

When they open their doors, hopefully on Dec. 15, the first product available will be the Noteworthy Gin.

In addition, they will offer a new barley spirit (commonly known as Moonshine) for at-home aging in small, one-litre oak barrels.

As the distillery grows -- there are already plans to expand the current building -- they will offer fresh fruit liqueurs and whiskey.

"We are doing much like other distilleries, using the culled fruit to make a viable product, as opposed to it ending up in a landfill," said Stevely. "Basically there are two types of distillers in BC. One is a craft distiller and the other is commercial. I fall under the craft distiller heading which means making spirits with 100 per cent BC grown ingredients."

Even the label on the Noteworthy Gin is reflective of their focus on local agriculture. It features Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain crops.

And whiskey will be offered down the road.

"The whiskey is our future for sure," said Stevely. "But it requires three years to age, so we need to sell other product as well."

Although there have been roadblocks along the way, Stevely is excited to see his business shaping up the way he wants it to.

"I just enjoy the whole process," he said. "Artists use paintbrushes, a distiller has a lot of tools in their toolbox to create their artwork. That is what makes each distillery in BC unique."