Small Victoria distillery doing big things

In the heart of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, a small family-owned and operated certified craft distillery is quietly making a collection of small batch whiskies that are increasingly becoming recognized on both the national and international stage.

DEVINE Distillery is well known for its whiskies along with a small collection of unique gin styles, honey-based ‘rums,’ and fruit brandies. But whisky has been a focus at DEVINE from the beginning, with the first casks of their Glen Saanich Single Malt Whisky being laid down in 2015. Made from 100% Saanich Peninsula-grown and malted barley, Glen Saanich is crafted as a terroir-focused authentically grain to glass single malt whisky showcasing the flavours of the community they both live and work in. Released on an annual basis and initially in very limited supply, early bottlings of Glen Saanich became coveted amongst BC whisky enthusiasts, while earning consecutive medals at both the Canadian Whisky Awards and the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition.

Building on the early success of their Glen Saanich, DEVINE set out to contrast their traditional single malt whisky with something completely different, bringing their Ancient Grains ‘Young’ Whisky to market in 2017.

Crafted from the same local malted barley along with BC grown spelt, emmer, einkorn, and khorasan, Ancient Grains boasts a one-of-a-kind flavour profile that is a prime example of the innovative thinking and willingness to experiment that we’re seeing from the leading producers in Canada’s craft distilling community. A standout amongst a growing whisky market in BC, Ancient Grains quickly became DEVINE’s most awarded spirit.

With two distinct bookends set as their core whiskies, and now seven years into their operation, DEVINE continues to blend innovative thinking with time-honoured tradition, building both their whisky library and their reputation as a leading whisky producer in BC.

In 2022, Glen Saanich was awarded the Best Small Batch Single Malt Whisky in Canada by the World Whisky Awards, and Ancient Grains was named the Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year, as the top rated spirit in the entire competition.

Not one to rest on their laurels, DEVINE continues to expand their whisky portfolio, releasing limited one-off cask finish and single cask expressions of their core whiskies in 2022, with plans for the first of several new whisky expressions to be released in 2023.

Want to be the first to hear about the next exciting whisky release from DEVINE? Subscribe to their newsletter and shop their award-winning whiskies at DEVINEDistillery.com.