Canadian Whisky Founders Western Canada
(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
The Canadian Whisky Region includes the East and West Canada: Western Canada includes the Provinces of: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Below are links to Whisky Founders that have made huge contributions to the growth of the Canadian Whiskey Industry. These may have been historical figures that lived long ago before prohibition or may be living leaders that have advanced the cause of the industry as a whole. Craft Whiskey has now been its own whiskey category for years.
1
Mark Balkenende
Crown Royal, Manitoba
In 2017, Mark Balkenende reached a milestone when he became Master Blender for Crown Royal. The appointment placed him among the most prominent whisky makers in North America. Unlike in some distilleries, Crown Royal's portfolio encompasses numerous expressions and limited releases.
2
Bob Baxter
Two Brewers Distillery, Yukon
In Whitehorse, Yukon, Bob Baxter's ambitions soon extended beyondbeer and Yukon Brewing became Two Brewers Whisky. Later asked why he and his partner switched from a successful brewing venture to a single-malt whisky producer, Brewer responded, “Because that’s what we like to drink.”
3
Edgar Bronfman
Crown Royal, Manitoba
Edgar Bronfman was born in 1929 in Montreal, Quebec, heir to one of North America’s most influential liquor empires. Known for his leadership in the Seagram Company Ltd., and specifically at Crown Royal distillery, its success was part of a family legacy. Bronfman’s life tells the story of ambition, business acumen, and inheriting what could be described as nothing short of a whisky dynasty.
4
Sam Bronfman
Crown Royal, Manitoba
Samuel Bronfman was born on February 27th, 1889, on board a ship arriving in Canada from the Russian Empire. His parents fled religious persecution in Russia in search of a more welcoming culture in Canada. His father worked in the tobacco industry in Moldova, but not finding steady work in Saskatchewan, he decided instead to borrow money to purchase his first hotel in 1903 in neighboring Manitoba.
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John Cote
Black Fox, Saskatchewan
John Cote became increasingly interested in the concept of terroir, the idea that soil, climate, geography, and local conditions contribute distinctive characteristics to agricultural products. While terroir is most often associated with wine, the couple believed that Saskatchewan grains possessed unique qualities that deserved recognition.
Tony Dyck
Okanagan, British Columbia
Okanagan Spirits was founded in 2004 by a group of like-minded investors led by Tony Dyck, and in the years that followed, the Dyck family bought out the original partners and made the business wholly family owned. That decision shifted the company’s trajectoryand built a true farm-to-flask, locally sourced distillery.
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George Conrad Reifel
Alberta Distilling Co., Alberta
George Reifel quickly set about determining how to efficiently ferment and distill mash made from Alberta Rye. That grain presents particular technical challenges, because unlike corn or barley, unmalted rye is difficult to mash, ferment, and distill efficiently due to its high gum content and viscosity.
9
Colin Schmidt
Last Mountain, Saskatchewan
Colin Schmidt produced an early batch of rye whisky that tasted so poor he was prepared to pour it down the drain. Before doing so, he contacted an excise officer, who advised him to allow the spirit additional time in the barrel. What Schmidt had nearly discarded eventually became an award-winning product.