New distillery aims to make Parkland County known for world-class whisky and spirits

Corporate lawyer calls it quits, opens distillery A local lawyer has stopped practicing law and has focused his efforts on a new distillery in Parkland County. Jeremy Thompson reports.

EDMONTON — A new distillery hopes to put Parkland County on the map for its quality spirits.

Anohka Distillery, Alberta's newest farm to flask spirits production site, opened on Friday. According to the owner, the name, derived from Sanskrit, means strangely wonderful and uncommon.

"That's everything that we're trying to do," said Gurpreet Ranu.

Ranu himself is a bit uncommon. He's still working toward completing a master's in brewing and distilling through a Scottish university.

He also has a degree in physics and until recently practiced corporate law.

"I was a litigator primarily practicing insurance defence law," Ranu said.

Everything needed to create a high-quality spirit is available within Parkland County, Ranu says.

"We have the resources. We have the grain. We have the ability to make world-class whisky right here," he added.

The first batch of whisky has to age in a barrel for at least three years, so the only product available so far is their gin, called Tempest.

"You get a lot of the big citrusy notes off this one," Adam Koziak, Chateau Louis Liquor Store manager, told CTV News Edmonton. "It's very well balanced."

Tempest is already being sold at dozens of liquor stores in Alberta. Koziak says tons of craft distilleries have opened in recent years, with the trend catching up with the local craft beer scene.

"The best part about it is everyone is doing their own unique thing," he added.

Ranu credits the problem-solving skills he learned as a physicist and lawyer for his early success as a distiller.

"I am all in on the distillery business," he added. "I'm going to keep my legal license.

"I will continue to practice, but I will be in-house counsel, so my only client will be the distillery."