Making spirits bright: 2 local distilleries make a splash with new drinks

Holiday spirit: Local distillers making a splash Some local distilleries are making spirits bright with their creations. Graham Neil reports.

Edmonton — A salted caramel liquor and a high-end whisky are proving to be big sellers for two local distilleries.

Hansen Distillery in west Edmonton recently started making the creamy salted caramel liquor, and the response from the public has the owners amazed.

“Yes, salted caramel has taken off quite crazy. The local support has been outstanding, I can't believe it." said owner Kris Sustrik. "It’s opened the doors for us right across Canada. We've been shipping from coast to coast here with our salted caramel.”

The maker attributes the success of their recipe to the all natural ingredients going into it.

“It has turned out amazing because we use real ingredients. Nothing fake in this distillery at all. It's really really authentic, using real authentic caramel and real salt and a little bit of vanilla added into that.”

Sustrik also said it doesn’t matter how much they make, stores keep running out and the company’s phone keeps ringing off the hook with people trying to buy more.

“So I made more than I thought I was going to need. I sold out of that. I made more again, sold out again. And now we're back to rebuilding the inventory and then it will be for sale again next Thursday.”

Down on the south side of the city, Strathcona Spirits Distillery is also having success, but with a new whisky. It’s called Dreamland Prairie Whisky, and has a wonderfully artful and intricate process.

“This is 100 per cent wheat whisky, with just a splash of rye. Aged in new wood, and then aged in cognac and armagnac casks from France,” explained Adam Smith, owner of the distillery.

Earlier sales of the spirt have been a dream for Smith as well, outpacing all of his expectations.

“People are loving it. We released it a week ago, I expected it to last six months. It's going a lot faster than we expected. It's a really great time for the distillery.”

In a difficult year where the pandemic has hit many businesses hard, both distillery’s are thankful for the success and hope their spirits will help keep the rest of our spirits high.