Rig Hand is a grain-to-glass family distillery in Nisku, just outside Edmonton.
Most of the grain comes from Schneider Farms, a fourth-generation farm two miles down the road. The range covers vodka, rum, whisky, gin, moonshine and a coffee cream liqueur. The bottle is a replica of the Leduc No. 1 drilling rig, which is about as Alberta as packaging gets.
Rig Hand opened in Nisku, just south of Edmonton, in 2014, when Geoff and Karen Stewart went all in on the idea of an Alberta craft distillery. It was the first craft distillery in the greater Edmonton area.
The name and the oilfield theme are pure Alberta. The signature bottle is shaped like the Leduc Number 1 rig, the well that kicked off the province's oil boom in 1947, right near where the distillery stands.
Alberta grain, from field to bottle
Rig Hand works grain to glass, using grain from a fourth-generation family farm just a couple of miles down the road. The lineup is broad: vodka, rum, gin, whisky, and moonshine, plus Alberta touches like Saskatoon berry vodka and a Wildrose gin.
Whisky is a point of pride. Rig Hand released Bar M in 2017, billed as the first craft whisky made in Alberta, and its Rocking R rye was chosen as the House of Commons Speaker's whisky in 2023.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rig Hand Craft Distillery known for?
Rig Hand is an Alberta craft distillery known for grain-to-glass spirits made from local grain, and for its rig-shaped bottle that nods to the province's oil history. It makes vodka, gin, rum, whisky, and moonshine near Edmonton.
Where is Rig Hand?
In Nisku, in Leduc County just south of Edmonton, Alberta. It was the first craft distillery in the greater Edmonton area, and its grain comes from a family farm only a couple of miles away.
What should I try from Rig Hand?
For something distinctly Alberta, look at the Saskatoon berry vodka or the Wildrose gin. If whisky is your thing, Rig Hand's rye earned a national nod as the House of Commons Speaker's whisky in 2023.
