History

A Respect to Tradition

Two Rivers Distillery presents itself through the slogans "A Respect to Tradition" and "A Dedication to Excellence," highlighting a respect for tradition as well as a commitment to craftsmanship and quality. Their story includes a link to the hardworking dedication of an older generation.

A Historical Background

Our history begins in 1915, when two brothers, James and Alexander Freeland, joined the Canadian Corps and fought in World War I in Europe. James survived the battle, while Alexander fell along the way. These memories honor Two Rivers’ approach: to produce handmade spirits with the same diligence and respect for tradition that was instilled by that generation. Mark Freeland, founder of Two Rivers Distillery, highlights such values as the foundation of the company.

Purpose and Approach

Two Rivers Distillery focuses on craftsmanship and elements such as quality and sustainability, and they describe their aim as delivering spirits with a sense of tradition and modernity.

Production / Manufacturing

Local Ingredients and Water

The company emphasizes using local ingredients: Alberta water and barley as central raw materials. They combine these with glacial water from the Bow and Elbow rivers as part of the base formulation of their spirits.

Equipment and Quality

Production is carried out using Canadian-made distilling equipment (handcrafted in Victoria, BC). Quality is the company's top priority, and if a spirit does not meet the highest standards, it is not bottled.

Sustainability and Locality

They strive to source as much as possible locally, and aim to keep ingredients within roughly a 100 km radius of the distillery. Some ingredients, however, require foreign sourcing (for example citrus for gin), but the goal is to keep the local connection as strong as possible.

Waste and Resource Efficiency

The resources are managed sustainably: mash waste is used as feed for local farmers; water used for cooling and processing is reused for mashing and cleaning, reducing wastewater generation. Heating is gas-powered; lighting is LED, and solar power is planned to meet future energy needs.

Philosophy and Standards

They maintain a high standard for their products and stay true to the idea of achieving a superior result, which also means they will not bottle a spirit if it does not meet the standards.

Products / Whisky Series

Core Products and Capabilities

Two Rivers Distillery focuses on handcrafted spirits and cocktails and notes a portfolio that includes gin and liqueurs (including Nanaimo liqueur, mentioned in customer reviews). The distillery explains that they create signature cocktails with Two Rivers spirits at the center. They also explain that their facilities and processes enable producing different types of spirits through their online store and with their portfolio.

White Label / Contract Manufacturing

Their contract production (white label) offers mashing, distilling, and packaging for other brands. The system is 10 hectoliters (1,000 liters), and they have a 100% German copper still. Offerings include contract mashing, contract distilling, redistillation of mash, botanically infused runs (gin, aquavit), neutral spirits and production of vodka, gin, rum and whisky. They also offer packaging: proofing, bottling, labeling, packaging and palletizing.

Whisky-Related Notes

There is mention of whisky as part of their contract distilling (Whisky) in the contract offering, indicating that the distillery can produce whisky as a service for clients, even though there is no explicit current own whisky product in their regular range in the text.

Visits and Experiences

Experiences and Tours

Two Rivers Distillery offers tours and tastings where visitors can gain insight into their craft and process, and experience the spirits live. Their website invites visitors to book a tour, which provides guided tastings and the opportunity to experience the production up close.

Events and Masterclasses

They offer events such as gin masterclasses and provide spaces for private events and catering. Their calendar shows public events and private events, including gin-masterclass events in collaboration with event platforms.

Philosophy

Tradition-Rich Values

A recurring theme at Two Rivers Distillery is a deeply rooted respect for tradition and the pursuit of exceptional quality. This includes a commitment to sourcing local ingredients and the craft of craftsmanship.

Locality and Sustainability

The distillery places strong emphasis on using local ingredients and operating with a focus on sustainability, as highlighted in their descriptions of spent grain, water reuse, and efforts to use LED lighting and gas heating, as well as planned implementation of solar energy.

Summary

Two Rivers Distillery presents itself as an active, like-minded distillery with a focus on tradition, local roots, and sustainability, while also offering tours, events, and contract production, including whisky, as a service for customers.