Sheringham Distillery's Award-Winning Spirits

A local distillery won the highly coveted top prize at the World Gin Awards this year - the Best Contemporary Gin was awarded to Sheringham Distillery for their Seaside Gin, which has now collected a total of eight awards including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 Silver Medal.

Sheringham Distillery is nestled in the heart of Sooke. The iconic Sheringham Point Lighthouse, was built nearby in 1912 to protect sailors from the treacherous waters of the Graveyard of the Pacific. Sheringham Distillery is an homage to the name given to the area neighbouring the distillery in 1846. In 1893, after the first post office was built, Sheringham was shortened to Shirley so the name would fit on the postage stamp.

Jason MacIsaac, a highly regarded chef with international clients and his partner Alayne, a seasoned sales and marketing professional founded Sheringham Distillery in 2015. Jason’s artistry and passion for wines and spirits is complemented by Alayne’s marketing savvy. Together, they form a dynamic partnership fueling the creative fires of the timeless West Coast distillery.

The latest spirit offered by Sheringham is the Kazuki Gin. Dainty and delicate, it is made with Japanese cherry blossoms and Yuzu sourced from Japan, blended with locally foraged juniper, coriander and grapefruit, as well as green tea leaves and flowers from the Westholme Tea Farm in the Cowichan Valley. Kazuki expertly blends Eastern and Western botanical and gin making techniques.

The MacIsaac’s wanted to capture the essence of the ocean in a bottle. Local seaweed is sustainably harvested from Gordon’s Beach through to Jordan River. Winged kelp known as Alaria marginata offers a brightness and deep umami to Sheringham’s trademark Seaside Gin. Bold, clean and refreshing, akin to a seaside stroll on a crisp day, the Seaside Gin holds a special place in the MacIsaac’s heart and is their first foray into aromatic spirits. Local botanicals including juniper, with its foresty pine flavour, coriander, citrus, rose and lavender offer a balanced yet complex profile that fuses notes of the sea, citrus and floral aromas. Jason’s refined palette and devotion to his craft can be tasted in the elegant spirits produced by Sheringham.