What I love about exploring our great province (besides the unreal terrain) is discovering great local makers. One that was introduced to us by Diana (Foodology) was Gillespie’s Fine Spirits.
This family owned and operated Artisan Craft Distillery creates a great line up of gin, vodka, liqueurs and non-alcoholic vinegars and syrups.
We tried the Sin Gin, Lemoncello, Gastown Shine, V Twin Rye Vodka, Aphro and Cafe Crema.
My favourites from the tasting were the Lemoncello, Aphro and Cafe Crema.
The Lemoncello is a lemon liqueur created by the Italians. Gillespies put their spin on it using organic lemons and only slightly sweetening it. The taste is bright and I knew that Nathalie and Josh would enjoy this, so I bought a bottle to take home with me.
Another one that really caught my attention was the Aphro – a vodka infused with cacao, chilli and vanilla. All the flavours are subtle but create a modern and wonderful vodka that could even be enjoyed on it’s own.
Finally, the Cafe Crema. This coffee cream liqueur is a marriage between Avalon Cream and Counterpart Coffee. This will definitely perk you right up, as it’s got a nice bite to it.
You can visit Gillespies, they have tours on the weekends at 2pm. Their tasting room is open from Thurs-Sun 1-6pm. We were also told that they have a cocktail lounge during the evenings (Thurs-Sat) from 6-11pm. If you’re in the area or making your way up to Whistler, I’d recommend you check them out!
For more information, check out the website here:
http://www.gillespiesfinespirits.com
