The new distilling system for Victoria Distillers was dropped into its location by crane Friday afternoon, an integral step forward for a company that is hoping to create a hub of tourism activity on the Sidney waterfront.
Victoria Distillers, formerly Victoria Spirits, is relocating from its previous West Saanich Road location to a new state-of-the-art, 8,500-square-foot facility on Seaport Place, between the Sidney Marina and Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre.
The arrival of the new still will bring the company behind the popular Victoria Gin brand into the modern era, said Peter Hunt, the company’s master distiller and general manager.
“This is a 900-litre still on a steam system. Our old one was a 200-litre wood-fired system, so there is a big difference,” Hunt said.
The unit was made by Specific Mechanical Systems of Saanichton. Hunt said the decision to have it built by a local company was a point of pride for Victoria Distillers. “Just about everyone else’s stills are made in Europe [or] the U.S. And these guys do such fantastic work,” said Hunt.
Sidney Mayor Steve Price, who watched the still put into place, is thrilled at the possibilities that await in tourism and extra consumers drawn to the community. Development procedures and zoning changes were expedited to accommodate the business, Price said.
Victoria Distillers expects to be open in time for the summer tourist season, which could provide a big boost. “It’s going to employ 15 to 20 people,” Price said.
“Not only that, it’s going to bring 90,000 people into Sidney [each year], which will be a real economic generator. It’s quite an asset to have on the waterfront. It’s really a world-class location for something like that, and these guys are making a world-class gin.”
The danger of having a facility ready-made for showcasing is growing too big too fast, according to Hunt. Tours of the facility and community outreach about the process of distilling spirits will help grow the brand of Victoria Distillers without having to sell more product in the process, he said.
“Even with the old system, we could have produced more, but it’s not always a matter of being able to produce more, but being able to grow demand as well. The visibility of this space will help us build our brand as well.”
The manufacturing side of the facility is coming into shape after months of activity. The company has designed its new location to accommodate an outdoor patio and tasting area, and the exterior of the building will receive a full facelift in the near future. The lounge and tasting room areas will likely be completed during the final stages of construction, Hunt said.
“Certainly we’ll be able to get manufacturing before then, but as far as being open to the public, it’s going to be May or June.”
Gin and vodka are their priorities out of the gate, but the state of the art machinery will also allow Victoria Distillers to produce whiskey at the facility, Hunt said.
“We’re going to keep it interesting.”
