SAANICH – Macaloney Brewers & Distillers Ltd. is offering consumers “Whisky for Life” with extra perks.
Dr. Graeme Macaloney, founder and Whiskymaker at Macaloney’s Distillery & Twa Dogs brewery, says the preferred ownership program Whisky for Life has been launched to raise funds that will allow them to distribute, market and sell their $13 million worth of existing whisky stocks into the United Kingdom, European Union, United States and select Asian countries.
“This program allows any Canadian residents, who invest between $3,000 and $12,000, to become a preferred co-owner of our distillery and brewery, with many attendant perks,” he explains.
Flowery beer garden with whisky flight
That includes:
- An annual whisky dividend where, each year, preferred owners are sent free bottles of whisky to their home address.
- Free unlimited distillery-brewery tours when the preferred owner accompanies friends, relations or business associates for the 45 minute kilt-clad guided tour with beer and whisky samples.
- A personal VIP card for a 10% discount off all their whisky, beer and branded merchandise products.
- Access to a two-day, hands-on whisky and beer academy (free for $10,000 investors).
Emily giving a tour at the potstills at Macaloney’s Distillery
In 2014, Macaloney and his wife Andrea re-mortgaged the family house and pioneered the first ever Canadian distillery crowdfunding.
“This allowed us to build one of the largest single malt whisky distilleries in North America, right here in BC,” he states. “Now, with over 650 Canadian investors from coast to coast, our venture has truly become ‘by Canadian’s for Canadians‘.”
Since they started distilling in 2016, they’ve brought in world-leading expertise and equipment that allows them to make international award winning whisky.
In addition to their Single Malts, their triple distilled potstill whisky, recently won ‘Canadian Best‘, and the new-make spirit underpinning all of their Peated Single Malts won World’s Best , after taking on the pride of Scotland at the World Whiskies Awards.
“We attribute this to using local BC barley that is uniquely smoked at our distillery using local peat, and also peat infused with seaweed from Barkley Sound in collaboration with Cascadia Seaweed and their First Nations partners,” he says.
The company has experienced significant growth.
“Even during Covid when we initially furloughed 30% of our staff, British Columbians were amazing with their support for our beer garden and Twa Dogs beers, such that we had to quickly re-hire all of our staff and even add some,” he recalls. “Our whisky sales actually doubled last year and with $13M worth of maturing whisky already in our warehouse, we expect the next few years will see continued stellar growth.”
