PROHIBITION HISTORY

Reliving History in the heart of an industry

The Province of Alberta was settled in the 1880’s as the primary Canadian ranching area. Alberta beef remains a statement of high quality throughout the world. In 1914, oil and gas were discovered in Turner Valley – the single largest find in the British commonwealth. It was an oil rush, just as Canadians headed off to Europe to fight the First World War. The ensuing economic boom brought in workers from all over North America, living in a tent city in the heart of ranch country south of Calgary. At the same time, Alberta brought in alcohol Prohibition in a strong temperance movement. Determined drinkers set up whisky stills on nearby ranches, and a booming trade of speakeasies, illegal whisky trade and illicit activities. The industry spawned Canadian liquor fortunes, and included such notables as Al Capone, Sam Bronfman and the Sundance Kid. Turner Valley, Eau Claire’s home, was a wild frontier town and was at the centre of the Alberta prohibition past.

HIGH ALTITUDE TERROIR

THE TASTE FROM UP HIGH

The angel’s share, the evaporation during maturation, tends to be more water than alcohol, enabling us to keep flavour complexities within the liquid. Similarly, our barrels breathe with the wide temperature fluctuations inherent in Southern Alberta's Chinook winds, allowing flavours to impart from the barrel in hot weather and to oxygenate rapidly on the cooler days.

GLACIER FED, MOUNTAIN FILTERED

Our water comes from the limestone rocks of glaciers and mountain water, as it flows through the Sheep River basin from the Canadian Rocky Mountains, only 20 minutes from the distillery.

THE HEART OF THE BARLEY BELT

Alberta, our home Canadian province, is widely acknowledged as the best barley producer in the world. Our hot, dry summers, with 100 day grain maturation, gives us uniquely flavourful 2-row barley kernels. Most of the worlds whiskies use Alberta barley, so it is only natural that we make whisky in the heart of the world’s barley belt.

THE SPICE OF LIFE

In wine, sommeliers and vintners talk about terroir. That is, the flavours that arise from the regional soil, the climate conditions and the growing conditions in a given year. Like the wine industry, we revel in the annual variation that an individual year can produce in flavour. Year to year, you will always know it is Eau Claire whisky, but we don’t blend to conformity, we share with our consumers those subtle flavour note variations.
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HIGH ALTITUDE TERROIR

Reaching new heights in the world of whisky

Eau Claire is located at 4000 feet above sea level, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Our high-altitude production facility, creates an unusual whisky maturation that is accelerated by the dry air and wide temperature fluctuations by season.