The story behind Strathcona Spirits
Strathcona Spirits opened in Edmonton's Old Strathcona in 2016, often called the city's first distillery. It squeezed into a tiny space, only a few hundred square feet, which it likes to call the smallest distillery around.
It only exists because Alberta changed its rules in 2013 to allow small craft distilling. Adam Smith took the opening and ran with it.
Alberta botanicals, tiny batches
The signature is Badland Seaberry Gin, a London dry style built on juniper foraged wild from the Red Deer River badlands and native seaberry picked around Edmonton. It is about as Alberta as a gin can get.
There is also a single-grain vodka made from wheat grown just down the road, plus absinthe and a whisky. Everything is made in very small batches, by hand, with local ingredients front and centre.
Frequently asked questions
What is Strathcona Spirits known for?
Strathcona Spirits is a tiny Edmonton craft distillery known for its Badland Seaberry Gin, made with badlands-foraged juniper and native seaberry. It also makes a single-grain vodka, absinthe, and whisky, all in very small batches.
What is seaberry?
Seaberry, also called sea buckthorn, is a tart orange berry that grows on the prairies. Strathcona forages it locally and uses it in the Badland gin, giving the spirit a distinctly Alberta character alongside wild badlands juniper.
Where is Strathcona Spirits?
In the Old Strathcona neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, in a very small space it bills as one of the tiniest distilleries around. Its grain and botanicals come from nearby, so the spirits are rooted in the local landscape.
