By: Tod Stewart
One thing typically leads to something else. Not sure if this is a law of physics, a law of nature, or just a thing. However, every now and then the second something is a fair bit different from the first, a second road takes you off track from where the first was steering you. Take the case of Alex Hamer.
IT project management was his first road, but, inevitably, the spirit(s) moved him elsewhere, onto a radically different – but in a way connected – path.
“I worked in information technology and project management for fifteen years before making the switch to the spirits industry,” Hamer confesses. “I considered opening my own distillery, but fairly quickly realized that wasn’t what I was best suited for. While I was going through that investigative process, I also had my sights set on opening a festival exclusively for B.C. distilleries. In the end, I decided not to open a distillery, but created the BC Distilled Festival, and then went on from there.”
“From there” included establishing the Canadian Artisan Spirits Competition (CASC), one of the country’s most respected venues for craft distillers looking to grab a bit of limelight. A pretty ambitious gesture for an admitted noob to the field.
“When I started the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition (CASC) I didn’t have any background in spirits competitions. I talked to a lot of distillers to find out what they wanted to see and not see in a competition, and also consulted heavily with Charlene Rooke, who became my lead judge.
“My IT background gave me good logical and organizational skills, which are critical in running competitions like this.”
Hamer’s “eureka” moment – when it first hit home that locally-made Canadian spirits could stand up to the world’s best – started close to home. “I remember visiting what was then called Victoria Spirits when it was operated out of a rural property on the Saanich peninsula, where Peter Hunt operated a fire-heated still. We tried their gin and the barrel aged gin. It was the first time it struck me that spirits could be made locally and involve some creativity.”
Knowing that small, artisan distilleries were making great products in his home province of British Columbia – and seeing that similar things were happening in several other provinces –Hamer established CASC’s goal to bring awareness and credibility specifically to this industry, and to help distillers demonstrate that their products were of high quality to their customers.
Hamer’s passion for local spirits, and his dedication to CASC, led him further into the world of spirits competition. In addition to CASC, Hamer took over operations for the Canadian Whisky Awards (CWA) in 2022 having met Davin de Kergommeaux, the founder and chair of the CWA, several years ago at the Victoria Whisky Festival. “I think he appreciated the expertise I had developed in running spirit competitions, and our values certainly aligned; for example, both competitions are judged entirely blind, we seek our expert judges, and not every entry is given a medal,” Hamer recalls, adding that de Kergommeaux handed over the reigns to Hamer to focus more on writing. (If you want to become an immediate expert in Canadian whisky – and take a deep dive into Canadian distilling history – check out de Kergommeaux’s Canadian Whisky: the essential portable expert, now in its third printing.)
Of course, including the word “artisan” in the name of anything immediately begs for a definition – at least for the intended purpose. “I spent a lot of time thinking about and consulting to come up with our definition of artisan distilleries and spirits, Hamer admits. In the end, he settled on the following criteria.
“First, the spirit must be distilled and bottled by the original producer – not made on contract with another producer. Second, the distillery cannot exceed 100,000 litres of absolute ethyl alcohol per year, which is over 300,000 750ml bottles at 45 per cent ABV. Third, the distillery must be independently owned and operated; it can’t be a so-called small distillery owned by a large one. Finally, everything must be distilled; you can’t just purchase ethanol, proof it down, put it in a bottle and call it vodka – it has to be run through a still.”
For competing distillers, registration takes place from July to early September. Distillers can submit and pay for their submissions online. “We have early bird pricing, and discounts for members of Artisan Distillers Canada – the parent organization for the awards,” Hamer explains. “The pricing is marginal, so the first three entries are one price, the next three are lower, and so on. All this to say pricing runs from $150 an entry down to $80.” Distillers can enter as many spirits as they choose (one distillery submitted 14 entries one year). “We average around three entries per distillery, which has been pretty stable over the years.”
The number of overall entries has continued to grow – as has the number of Canadian artisan distilleries. While Hamer keeps the total number of entires on the Q.T., he does reveal that he receives “a few hundred” each year. He also notes that one particular category is growing exponentially.
“Whisky is the one category that has seen the most significant growth. In 2018, for example, we awarded five medals in a single whisky category; this year we awarded 49 medals across three whisky categories – Single Grain, Single Malt, and 100 per cent Rye.” The gin and vodka categories have also grown and are now split into contemporary and classic styles (also flavored in both categories, and aged for gin).
So what, exactly, do competitors get for their money?
“Top award winners – Best in Class or Canadian Artisan Spirit of the Year, for example – have had some great attention for their wins, and often see a significant increase in orders,” Hamer contends. “For spirits which earn medals, to some degree, what it means or how valuable it is depends on the distiller and how they choose to take advantage of the win. If they put the medal in a drawer and don’t mention it, it won’t mean much. But distilleries that celebrate their medals, get the word out, and include it in their marketing materials, will see the value of them. People like to know that a product has some expert validation, and even earning a bronze medal can be valuable in giving that spirit credibility.”
“Expert” validation. Okay, who are these experts who act as judges and how are they selected? Hamer outlines the criteria:
“We look for judges who have experience tasting and judging, and who have also demonstrated some exposure and understanding of artisan spirits. In many cases, they are different from commercial spirits. A classic example is vodka. Commercially-produced vodka will generally be as flavorless as possible, but many artisan vodkas have flavor or character left in on purpose. Judges who don’t have an appreciation for that aren’t suitable for CASC.” (I am pleased – and moderately humbled – to report that I was selected as a judge for the 2024 CASC.)
Once candidates are selected they are sent samples to score and comment on to determine the “fit.” It also helps provide some coaching or calibration where required.
As glamorous (perhaps even fun) as it may seem, I can tell you from first-hand experience that acting as a CASC judge is no picnic. Just organizing yourself to get through a couple hundred samples before the deadline requires some discipline and planning, and it doesn’t take long when tasting spirits that palate fatigue (or palate numbness) sets in. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the quality of what I tasted – and not necessarily in categories where I expected to find it. Sure, the whiskies – for the most part – were quite good; a few were outstanding. But what really blew me away were the aged gins and bitters. Though some were barely recognizable as “gin,” most of the aged gins were nonetheless complex, beautifully balanced, and extremely well made. And though we are used to a few drops here and there as part of a cocktail, just mixing some of these bitters with a splash of soda made for an entirely refreshing drink on their own.
Hamer agrees that, over the years, not only have submission numbers increased, but the overall quality has as well.
“The quality has definitely improved,” Hamer confirms. “We try to be as objective as possible in the scoring year over year, but the standards have increased over time. The number of spirits which aren’t awarded medals is pretty consistent. The spirits which don’t earn medals tend to have consistent types of faults.
“But at the top end of the competition, it’s harder to get gold medals than it was. There are more spirits which are higher quality, and there are only so many gold medals to go around.”
If CASC results are any indication, the future indeed looks bright for Canadian artisan spirits. The only downside is that due to limited production volumes, finding these spirits typically isn’t easy (even within Canada). However, for spirit enthusiasts south of our border, that border is close enough for a few of you to take a trip north. Our ever-growing distilling community would love to welcome you and treat you to a taste of true Canadian hospitality.
