Whispering Dutchman Distillery Revealed
Bruce Van Leeuwen was perplexed when Sue Ransom from Krang Spirits told him that selling his first batch of gin would be a big mistake. He thought his gin was excellent. Still, he yielded to her advice, and now he is forever grateful for it.
As a producer of anything, you need to be excellent from the get-go to succeed, or your reputation suffers and remediating it can take precious time and resources away from your core business. And so, when Bruce finally released his first spirits in 2020, he was ready. So much so that he even entered the Alberta Beverage Awards competition. This bold move earned him the Judges Selection award for his Lemon Lavender Gin and his Tripled Distilled Double Century Vodka.
Located in Cochrane, next door to the Half Hitch Craft brewery, Bruce, his son, and a couple of colleagues are busy meeting the demand of a growing clientele. A year into it, and they are already considering increasing production and buying another pot still.
Bruce is the Operator/Promoter of the distillery, and Mitch Klassen, the Head Distiller. They both stumbled into spirit making, like so many Canadian distillers, winemakers or brewers – by chance and passion. With little heritage and formal training to draw from, many in the industry must rely on smarts, guts and entrepreneurial spirit to succeed. Bruce was in the eyeglass business by day, and Mitch Klassen was a computer programmer. By night, they were both gin aficionados. Done with successful careers, they are now focusing on distilling alcohol and concocting their versions of yummy spirits.
Whispering Dutchman distillery purchases Canadian rye, the base grain for their spirits, from Red Shed in Innisfail. The sugar comes from sugar beets in Taber, and the aromatics (junipers, spices and botanical) come from Silk Road boutique in Inglewood, Calgary. A mash of rye, water, sugar and yeast is first made and allowed to slowly ferment for 30 days to reach 17% alcohol. The brew is then distilled in a 250 litre Copper Pot Still for 8 hours resulting in approximately 30 litres of alcohol, also called Moonshine. This alcohol can then be distilled again (once or twice), charcoal filtered and finally diluted to give you vodka. Each pass refines the flavours and textures further. The gin is created the same way except that flavouring (i.e. junipers, spices, herbs, citrus fruits, etc.) is added to the product after the first distillate. The products are bottled or can be further modified to become ready-to- drink cocktails.
WD offers a wide range of gins, vodka, moonshines and prepared cocktails. The style of the spirits is delicate in textures, soft with no harshness. The aromatics are natural, adding complexity and refinement. Such is the case for their classics – the Tripled Distilled Double Century Vodka and Signature Gin. But, the team at the distillery enjoys experimenting resulting in a Lemon Lavender Gin that is refreshing, especially when made into a lemonade cocktail. I was also drawn to their Winter Spice Gin, a classically made gin infused with a subtle blend of juniper, baking spices and orange. But, if you like Irish Cream, you should try Whistling Willems Dutch Coffee Cream. Crazy as it may sound, Moonshine is added to 18% pure dairy cream and espresso, chocolate and baking spices. The flavours are decadently rich, silky, and creamy. I felt like drinking this warm as I would hot cocoa or over ice.
Visiting the distillery is fun and can be arranged with a quick phone call. The distillery is small and budding. It will be fun to follow its progress over time. Bruce is engaging and inviting, walking you through the spirit-making process and their products. Gins and vodka can be sampled and purchased on site. You can also buy them by visiting a Safeway, Sobeys or Co-op Liquor store in the area and Calgary. Back home, check out the cocktail recipes on their website and experiment as well. That makes for fun cocktail hours.
Cheers!
Whispering Dutchman Distillery
403-614-1446
wddistillery@gmail.com Whisperingdutchmandistillery.com
105 – 12 Griffin Industrial Point
Cochrane, Alberta
Renée Delorme
Sommelier
www.tastingpleasures.ca
403.200.9961
mail@tastingpleasures.ca
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