From Aquavit to Whisky, a Newfoundland Dream Comes True

Nestled in the tiny farming community of Cormack, on Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula, farmers such as Ian Richardson chisel rocky acreage into hard-working grain fields. There, in the cool, short growing season they plant feed for their livestock. His determination to offset the high costs of importing pricey cattle feeds, and establish a Newfoundland-born-and-raised food tradition, have turned Richardson into the Michelin star chef of bovine fodder.

The Newfoundland Distillery Company in Clarke’s Beach can relate. Importing grain to feed their stills is expensive too. And, like Richardson, the distillery’s driving force is an aesthetic to use Newfoundland-grown ingredients to make spirits with an identity that extends beyond the flavours in the glass. 

Soon, and for the first time ever, this will include Newfoundland Whisky. This past October, the Newfoundland Distillery Company began laying down barrels of triple-distilled whisky spirit made from Cormack-grown unmalted barley, with a little malted PEI barley added to help with fermentation. However, if you are impatient like we are, you can experience Cormack barley today. It’s the same grain they use for their vodka and aquavit.

When Wilkins and Carter opened their distillery, they released an aquavit. They weren’t necessarily looking to pay homage to the province’s Viking history. Rather, they wanted to bottle something whisky-like right from the start using the local Cormack barley. Fittingly, their aquavit takes a left turn from Scandinavian traditions and heads straight for Newfoundland’s flavour wheel. They begin by infusing the barley spirit with Newfoundland peat and juniper harvested a stone's throw from the distillery. Then they add savoury from St John’s Mt. Scio for an herbal touch.

Savoury’s reputation as a “love herb” is fitting for a distillery built on the shores of Conception Bay. Ancient Romans believed savoury was a natural aphrodisiac as well, and European monasteries wouldn’t grow it, fearing it would excite the monks, and in this aquavit, it certainly does rouse the palate. A touch of honey from Grand Falls balances the herbal notes, completing a coast-to-coast exploration of Newfoundland essence. 

A creamy honeycomb sweetness with a soft layer of smoke and malty cereal notes forms a foundation on which other flavours walk a fine line between earthy and peppery while an herbal liquorice bitterness complements a mild sweetness. Spiciness that is elevated late on the palate, finally shifts gears into sweet herbal tones. We can see why the distillery team describe their aquavit modestly as ‘wannabe’ whisky, though this spirit is far from having an identity crisis.

“It took us four years to lay down our first actual whisky,” says distillery co-founder Peter Wilkins, “so hopefully the next three years will fly by.” “We can hardly wait to try our whisky.” “What is particularly exciting is that whisky fans in the province and across Canada will, for the first time, have a superb whisky distilled and aged right here in Newfoundland and will be able to compare it with other whiskies across Canada, literally from coast to coast." That first batch produced nine barrels with six more planned each month here on in.

Distiller Bill Carter lets his ingredients do the talking, with a chef’s palate that weaves subtle flavours into his spirits. Carter and Wilkins are ageing their whisky in #2 Char new oak to avoid overpowering the grain flavours and local terroir. They want a balanced young whisky, not one overtaken by woody oak spices.

“One reason we use barley as the base grain for our other spirits is that we have always been meaning to use it to make whisky,” Wilkins reminds us. And like their aquavit, their texturally rich and cocktail-friendly vodka is a good omen for the whisky to come.  Buttery, and laced with soft grain notes, vanilla tones and a late-palate spiciness, it evokes the soul of the rocky soil in which the grain grew. Chilled on ice, it is very sippable, but our whisky surrogate for now will remain Newfoundland Distillery Aquavit. 

With Newfoundland whisky forecasted to land on the rock in 2023, there is plenty already to bide the time. You can read more about the Newfoundland Distillery’s whisky journey in our book, The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries.