Ampersand Distilling Co. Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary and Announces New Raconteur Whisky and Barrel-aged Gin

Ampersand Distilling Co. celebrates a milestone 10-year anniversary this month with a teaser of two new spirits to be released soon – Raconteur Whisky and Barrel-aged Gin. The family-founded craft distillery, located in British Columbia’s Cowichan Valley, has earned a reputation for producing spirits of the highest possible quality that have become staples in restaurants and home bars across North America.

Opened in October 2014, Ampersand Distilling Co. is owned and operated by the Schacht family, on a five-acre organic vegetable farm. Trained as engineers, father-son duo Stephen and Jeremy Schacht employed their knowledge of science and traditional distilling techniques to build the distillery from the ground up. Stephen and his wife Ramona’s love of farming, and Jeremy and his wife Jessica’s love for cocktails added fuel to the fire, and business was soon booming. 

Ampersand Distilling Co. uses wild-harvested or organic botanicals and BC-grown, organic wheat to craft its award-winning spirits. Two massive stills hand-built by Stephen and Jeremy – including a 1,000-litre pot still and 500-litre packed column, affectionately known as “Dot” and “Dash” – spark each libation to life. Unique among stills worldwide, Dash is packed with tiny coils that leverage maximum surface area, producing spirits that contain nearly 97% alcohol. Before they are packaged and sold, all of Ampersand’s spirits undergo a rigorous batch-distillation process to remove every impurity, resulting in the highest quality and best tasting libations available. 

Over the past decade, Ampersand Distilling has emerged as an industry and community leader. Notable achievements through the years include:

• Winning “Spirit of the Year” for limited-edition liqueur Nocino! at the 2021 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition 
• Winning “Canada’s Best Classic Gin” at the 2021 World Gin Awards
• Winning “World’s Best Varietal Vodka” at the 2020 World Vodka Awards
• Producing thousands of litres of hand sanitizer for doctors’ offices, hospitals and immunocompromised people during the COVID-19 pandemic, and donating a proceed of sales to charitable organization, Nourish Cowichan

As they reflect on the past decade of accomplishments, Ampersand is setting the scene for the next decade with the release of two new spirits this winter. Raconteur is the business’s first foray into whiskies, honouring late co-founder and raconteur Stephen Schacht. Aged four years in ex-bourbon casks, Raconteur is made from 100% organically grown wheat and is column distilled. Grassy and citrusy at initial meeting, the nose develops into vanilla poached pears, with a gentle sweetness on the palate transforming into caramelized apricot-black pepper crème brûlée. This new signature spirit can be enjoyed on its own, or in a nod to Ampersand’s roots as a gin distillery: a Whisky Tonic. And, bringing a new twist to the classic you love, Ampersand’s Barrel-aged Gin uses their spent whisky barrels to add depth to Ampersand Gin. A soft smoky sweet character makes a winter-worthy gin, perfect in a Negroni or Hanky Panky.

“It’s incredibly special to commemorate Ampersand Distilling Co.’s 10-year anniversary by introducing one of the last spirits Stephen worked on before he passed,” said Jessica Schacht, co-founder. “Raconteur Whisky is in honour of Stephen as a storyteller. He was proud to share the story of our family business, and we hope this whisky inspires those who sip it to gather and share their own stories. These new spirits are complex and innovative, yet approachable – just like Ampersand. We’re grateful to everyone who has supported us over the past decade, and we look forward to creating more delicious-tasting spirits in the next 10 years to come.”