Raising A Glass To 10 Years With Ampersand Distilling Co.

Celebrating a decade of distilling innovation, Vancouver Island’s Ampersand Distilling Co. marks its 10th anniversary this month with a pair of exciting new releases: their first-ever whisky, Raconteur, and a barrel-aged gin. Known for award-winning spirits crafted from local ingredients, Ampersand has become a cornerstone of BC’s craft distilling industry. Join us as we explore their journey, upcoming releases, and the legacy of co-founder Jessica Schacht. —Noa Nichol

Ampersand Distilling Co. is celebrating a decade of producing award-winning spirits. Looking back, what have been some of the most defining moments or milestones for you and the distillery over these 10 years?

I remember the first time we had a finished bottle of Ampersand Gin – after years of working to pull this all together, we finally had done it and it was real! But we really knew we made it the first time we saw someone with an empty bottle of Ampersand Gin at the bottle depot. Another huge moment was the first BC Distilled Festival we attended, when we won Audience Favourite for both our Ampersand Gin and Per Se Vodka! Then we did it two more years in a row. Knowing it wasn’t a fluke, that people really appreciated our approach to spirits – that was huge.

Ampersand has built a reputation for innovation in the BC craft distilling industry. Can you tell us about the unique distilling techniques you’ve developed and how they set your spirits apart from others?

We have two massive stills hand-built by Stephen and Jeremy –  a 1,000-litre pot still we call “Dot” and a 500-litre packed column, “Dash”. In a way we were lucky to be developing in a bit of a bubble, because the design we use “shouldn’t work” at the scale we produce. But Jeremy and Stephen were able to figure it out. Dash is packed with tiny coils that create maximum surface area. Having engineers on your team really helps – Stephen built a machine to manufacture all the coils for the column. And Jeremy and Alex continue to iterate on the design of the column still to ensure it’s producing at its highest capacity. Our spirit run is up to nearly 97% or what’s called the azeotrope.

You’re about to release your first whisky, Raconteur, in honor of your late co-founder Stephen Schacht. What does this new spirit mean to you personally, and how does it reflect the legacy and values of Ampersand Distilling?

I still remember the road trip we took up to Shelter Point that first summer of COVID. We took the whole family and toured around there and brought barrels back home. Stephen was so excited to make whisky and be taking that next step in our distillery, so to be finally realizing that dream is an honour. I think when a lot of people think about Stephen they think about his warmth and personality, and what an amazing storyteller he was. So this Raconteur Whisky is to honour him, and hopefully connect with the storyteller in all of us.

Ampersand Gin has earned prestigious awards, including Canada’s Best Classic Gin. How do you approach creating a balance between tradition and experimentation in your spirits?

I think, like so many things, you want to honour the work of what’s come before you – there is a lot of history and tradition in what makes something a gin or whisky. If you’re going to call it by a name, it needs to live up to that. But there are modern techniques and approaches – like using fresh lemon peels, or creating higher quality spirits – that make it a modern twist on a classic.

As the author of The Five-Bottle Bar, you’ve explored the art of crafting drinks with a minimalistic approach. How has your philosophy from the book influenced Ampersand’s offerings, and how do you see the cocktail culture evolving in the next decade?

I think we will see a return to the ritual, cocktails made with intention. There is a lot of convenience and grab-and-go right now, but there’s nothing quite like the sensory experience of stirring a frosty shaker, of twisting a burst of citrus, of sipping an ice cold cocktail in a glass.