15 Canadian Craft Gins That Will Change Your G&T Forever
Produced by Sun Ngo, Photo by Christie Vuong, Food styling by Ashley Denton, Prop styling by Christine Hanlon.
Sommeliers love to toss around the word terroir, but the term is seldom used for gin, best known for its punchy juniper notes.
John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote, however, like the idea of gin having terroir. The fifth-generation Saskatchewan farmers and owners of Black Fox Distillery in Saskatoon make Canadian gin. Specifically, they make ruby-red gin from haskap berries, a tart, cold-hardy superfruit. They build on that flavour with calendula flower and spicy triticale, a wheat-rye hybrid. Instead of lemon, they use rhubarb for citrus notes. “We don’t grow a lot of oranges and lemons around Saskatoon,” says Stefanyshyn-Cote.
They’ve even made mustard gin (50 percent of the world’s mustard seed grows in their province). It’s golden in colour and rich with ginger spice.
Canadian gin isn’t just a facsimile of the traditional British spirit. Distillers across the country are using local grains and flora to evoke the feeling of place and sensory memories.
Malcolm Roberts, a former alcohol advertising bigwig, knew Canadian gin had potential. With food scientist Shelly Perry, he bought a still and created Valley of Mother of God gin near Alliston, Ont.
“When we started, Canadian gin didn’t have a defined identity,” says Roberts. So they explored various terroirs—woody juniper from the Ottawa Valley, black walnuts, tart-sweet McIntosh apples and milk thistle from their farm—and used white winter wheat as a base spirit. Their gin is icy and expressive, like
a snow day.
Canada is a perfect place to distill gin. Juniper, a requirement for the spirit, grows in abundance. We’ve got glaciers, plains of wheat and a wealth of botanicals. And there’s no one formula for making it. In the Rockies, Park Distillery uses glacier runoff water and hand-picked spruce tips for their alpine dry gin.
“It lends resinous citrus and fresh pine characteristics,” says distiller Scott Coburn.
Each bottle is a liquid love letter to Canada. “Our ingredients, our seasons—they all create flavours and expressions you won’t find anywhere else,” says Perry.
Canadian Gin Taste-Test
Loop Mission Lime & Ginger Gin
Québécois food-waste solutions company Loop turns lime peels and ginger into a spicy, tangy gin.
Menaud Gin
Sumac, glasswort, caraway, balsam poplar and black spruce give this Charlevoix distillery’s gin an icy,
woody palate.
Spring 34, Levenswater Gin, ON
A potato-based spirit boasting notes of chamomile, lavender, coriander and rosemary, this gin’s flavour profile is almost as stylish as the bottle. Our thoughts? The florals shone through nicely when paired with tonic, offering up a softer, sweeter take on the classic G&T.
Seaside Gin, Sheringham Distillery, Langford, BC,
Sheringham’s award-winning Seaside Gin is made of local white wheat, barley and winged kelp, billing itself as "the West Coast in a bottle."
Gin Rummy, Eau Claire Distillery, AB
A seasonal offering from award-winning Alberta-based Eau Claire Distillery, this holiday sipper is smooth, rummy (as advertised) and packed with aromatic holiday spices that had us coming back for more. Our thoughts? Get one while you still can!
Newfoundland Distillery Seaweed Gin
The Newfoundland Distillery uses dulse harvested from the Grand Banks in its award-winning gin, which adds an umami richness to the finished product.
BlackFox, Oaked Gin, Saskatoon, SK
Barrel aging gives this award-winning gin its brooding colour (and adds warm, spiced notes to your Negroni). Our thoughts—aside from who gets to keep the bottle? Surprisingly smooth, it’s best on its own without any add-ons. We’re already planning to order one for the holidays.
Dillon’s Rose Gin, Niagara, ON
Infused with rosehip and rose petals, this gin finishes with a delicate sweetness. It’s a great flavour upgrade for cocktails, but just as lovely kept simple, on ice with soda. According to our tasting panel, the delicate, sweet and floral flavours make it a must-have. (It might even surprise those who usually don’t enjoy gin.)
Georgian Bay Gin, Collingwood, ON
Georgian Bay may not call itself a London Dry, but it still conforms to the classic flavour profile of citrus, earthy spices and juniper—an essential ingredient that gives it that bracing “pine” flavour. It's a great choice for a classic gin and tonic. Plus, it's packaged in Canada's first-ever paper spirits bottle, made of lightweight, 100% recycled paperboard—the brand says it will result in each bottle having a carbon footprint that's up to six times lower than glass bottles.
Elora Citrus Pink Gin, Elora, ON
Gin—but make it pink! Our drinks writer Christine Sismondo is a fan of this citrussy pink gin, which you can use to make her A+ Big-Batch Pink Gin Martini recipe.
Canopée Gin Forestier, Louiseville, QC
Classic pine and citrus flavours make this Canadian spirit a great purchase for the classic gin connoisseur. Our thoughts? The tonic overwelmed the gin, so we’ll stick to ice or a splash of soda.
Cirka, Gin Sauvage, Montreal, QC
Quebec’s northern boreal forest inspired the 30-plus botanicals used to craft this gin. Our thoughts? It’s classic, smooth and expressive—our pick for the perfect G&T.
Ungava Gin, Frelighsburg, QC
This electric-yellow gin is known for more than its eye-catching colour. With soft citrus notes and botanicals ranging from cloudberry to rosehip, labrador tea and more, it tastes as impressive as it looks. Our thoughts? It’s an ideal display bottle to put out on a cocktail cart or shelf when entertaining.
Ironworks Gin, Lunenburg, NS
Featuring hand-picked rosehips, balsam fir bud, Nova Scotia juniper berries and a smooth finish, it’s perfect for an evening martini. Our thoughts? Delicious! It has many layers of flavour on its own, and with a splash of soda it opens up even more. Also makes an excellent G&T—with a twist of lemon, for good measure.
Cucumber Gin, Long Table Distillery, BC
“Ideal in a dry martini served in a chilled lemon-rimmed glass and garnished with cucumber”, according to Long Table Distillery, this balanced, cucumber-forward gin from B.C. is at the top of our to-taste list.
With files from Christine Sismondo and Heather MacMullin.
Watch: Three easy ways to garnish a cocktail
