Quebec Distiller

While Acerum is slowly gaining recognition, its flavour remains a mystery to many people. To mark sugaring-off season, let’s look at the science behind this one-of-a-kind maple product.

For the Bouchards, the creation of a distillery inspired by the boreal forest started with family tradition and a few secret stills.

It's right off Highway 30 in Beauharnois, Montérégie, that you'll find Miel Nature. Owners Elena and Ali Agougou have received over 232 medals for their honey-based creations and rank among the most awarded couples in their field! Let's go meet them together.

Located in the heart of downtown Lévis is a large building where Lore & Legends co-founders Virgil Demers and Martin Vaillancourt set up shop three years ago.

The Temiscouata Distillery, located in Auclair in the Lower Saint Lawrence region, is made up of some 40 maple syrup producers who decided to innovate, stimulate the economy and take charge of their industry by producing Acerum, a maple syrup-based spirit!

At Entre Pierre et Terre in Franklin, in Montérégie, not only do owners Michelle Boyer and Loïc Chanut turn their orchard fruit into cider, wine and spirits, they also find ingenious ways to make sure nothing goes to waste.

At the corner of Chapleau and Masson in Montreal’s Rosemont neighbourhood, Lilian Wolfelsberger is constantly experimenting. The co-founder of Distillerie de Montréal took us behind the scenes in his lab and revealed the creative process behind his chocolate and pineapple spirits.

In Rimouski, in the Lower St. Lawrence, stands a new architectural building overlooking the St. Lawrence River that’s home to Distillerie du St. Laurent. It’s in this enchanting part of the Pointe-au-Père district, with its iconic lighthouse and spectacular sunsets, that Joël Pelletier and Jean-François Cloutier create and share their products.

When you stroll through the streets of Bedford in the Eastern Townships, you quickly notice a huge red-brick building. A vestige of the industrial era, this old needle factory has become a creative hub and an artists’ residence, and it’s where Samuel Gaudette and Vanessa Cliche have set up their stills.

The Eastern Townships, with Mount Shefford as a backdrop, is where the Bourassa brothers harvest some 2,500,000 litres of maple water per year, and where they nurture their second passion—the distillery.

The main ingredient in Quebec spirits is our precious blue gold. Each bottle of locally made gin and vodka contains a bit of our terroir. Here’s how our waters add to their unique flavour.

Have you heard of Acerum? In this edition of Fresh, we’re looking at this newcomer on the fine spirits scene—an eau-de-vie made from the fermentation and distillation of maple sap.