Plenty of great choices when it comes to B.C.-produced spirits

If you’ve been pondering a change in vodka providers, or your go-to bottle is no longer on the shelf at your favourite liquor outlet, have no fear.

There are plenty of local or B.C. options to choose from, and not just vodka. With the return of B.C. Distilled on April 9 in Vancouver—31 distilleries are scheduled to pour–now is a good time to explore what our province has to offer.

Let’s face it, shopping locally is hopefully a habit by now. Here are a few distilleries to put on your radar to pick up a bottle or two, or to visit this year on a safely planned road trip.

Wynndel Craft Distilleries, Creston: Brandies, gins, schnapps, vodkas and more, located in the stunning Kootenay region. These folks take local fruit and turn it into something special. The Butterfly Blue Gin makes really pretty cocktails and the Spicy Peach Vodka is a delight over ice.

Maple Leaf Spirits Inc., Naramata: The fruit liqueurs are divine, especially the apricot and peach flavours. These don’t taste “kind of like” the fruit, it’s like the fresh fruit gently squeezed itself into the bottle to give their nectar a chance to be something better than sun-ripened perfection.

Sheringham Distillery, Sooke: The Seaside Gin takes you back to an oceanfront, subtle sea-spray night around a campfire with your junior high best friend. Only now you can legally have a proper gin cocktail that doesn’t involve raiding your dad’s bar fridge in the basement.

Resurrection Spirits, Vancouver: Its White Rye is a sipping rye. Enjoy it straight up and appreciate the vanilla-hazelnut-toffee notes. You could experiment with a hard coffee cocktail with this, or their Pale Rye. Just don’t mix with cheap cola.

Indigenous World Spirits, Kelowna: If you get your hands on a bottle of its vodka, you’ll surely admire the beautifully designed bottle before cracking it open. Very slight sweetness, grape and stone fruit notes. This is a “terroir-driven” vodka, if there ever was such a thing.

Dubh Glas Distillery, Oliver: Navy Strength Gin is something we all might need right now. Spice notes, bold botanicals, and a bit of kick. Sip it, or serve it with and adventures combo of spices. A happy accident? Found out it’s pretty good in a spiked Earl Grey tea.

Bohemian Spirits, Kimberley: Most likely the Rose Rhubarb Ginger Gin Liqueur will cure your season allergies, plus it’s a quirky shade of unexpected pink. Both spicy and sweet, a bit fruity and a bit dry, it’ll create a great mystery cocktail.

One Foot Crow Craft Distillery, Gibsons: 100 proof Mineral-Infused (black) Vodka. Why not. They have a recipe for a Midnight Martini that is elegantly simple. Let’s hope it is effective, too, and we can take a short break from reality after a round.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.