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Case Study: It’s Grain-and-Grape Ingenuity at Calgary’s Bridgeland

From whiskeys whose grains they can trace to specific Alberta fields to a wine program that feeds ports, brandies, and grappa, Bridgeland Distillery’s DIY flywheel is gaining momentum.

Don Tse Apr 4, 2024 - 8 min read

Case Study: It’s Grain-and-Grape Ingenuity at Calgary’s Bridgeland  Primary Image

Photos: Courtesy Bridgeland/From Barrel to Bottle Agency

“Tradition, innovation, terroir,” is the tagline at Bridgeland Distillery in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and it’s a mantra that would fit at many craft distilleries across North America. Drilling down into how they do it at Bridgeland reveals a team with in-depth knowledge of traditional spirits—and when to break the rules in the service of local flavor and hands-on pragmatism.

Daniel Plenzik and Jacques Tremblay founded Bridgeland in 2018, and since then they’ve been producing whiskeys in various styles—American, Canadian, Irish, and Scotch—as well as grape-driven brandies, grappas—or “eaux de vigne”—and even Chinese-inspired baijiu.

While many of their spirits are terroir-driven—Bridgeland’s single-malt whiskey can trace its barley to a single section of land 75 minutes from the distillery—other products involve rethinking what those spirits can be, using the resources they have at hand to add character and value.

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Don Tse is an internationally recognized beer writer and beer judge, working from his home base in the middle of North America’s barley belt.

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