InFocus Magazine

If good things come to those who wait then it would seem great things come to those who don’t. How else to explain the impossibly smooth, award-wining spirits being produced by Wayward Distillation House, the Comox Valley’s newest artisan distillery? The distillery, founded by Dave and Andrea Brimacombe and opened in December, wasn’t supposed to exist for another 12 years. But then a serendipitously-timed change to BC’s liquor laws changed everything.

“We had a goal for when I retire, using my pension for subsidizing the business,” explains Dave, a 32-year-old former soldier from Pender Harbour whose copper-tinged moustache flows just as smoothly as his vodka and gin. “Then, two years ago, we’re here in the Comox Valley and unexpected by anyone, the Province announces the Craft Distiller’s Agreement.”

The agreement, among other things, allows products distilled in BC from 100 per cent BC ingredients to be sold directly without markup. “It was the difference between a financially viable and a financially unviable business,” says Dave. “You only get one chance to be here in Courtenay on the day they make that change; you only get one opportunity to be the first.

“It was a really big decision, but after 14 years in the service we decided to make alcohol instead.”

“It was scary,” admits Andrea, who even when recalling those terrifying early days wears an infectious, jovial smile. “There were a lot of fingers-crossed moments.” She credits her husband’s experience navigating the red tape of military bureaucracy for the reportedly record-breaking speed with which they acquired their liquor licence—less than two months from application received to application approved.

Anyone who appreciates a fine, craft-distilled spirit will be glad they did.

Wayward Distillation House’s first spirit, Unruly Vodka, is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. Believed to be the first vodka in Canada to be derived from honey rather than more traditional fermentables like wheat or potatoes, Unruly Vodka is velvety smooth with a hint of ambrosial sweetness on the nose and palate.

“It’s not going to taste like anything else you can drink, and it doesn’t have so much aggressive personality that it fights everything you put it with,” says Dave, opining that the best way to enjoy Unruly Vodka is neat and at room temperature. “If you need to chill it, it’s not as good as it should be.”

Right from day one, Dave and Andrea placed their vodka in the same category as premium international brands like Belvedere and Grey Goose, although Dave does note one significant distinction: “Grey Goose puts 40 cents of wheat into their bottle. That’s all I’m saying. We don’t have million dollar marketing plans so we’re not in every magazine telling you that it’s a good thing. That’s the main difference. We put two and a half pounds of honey in ours instead.”

The Brimacombes’ high standard of quality is not something they take lightly. In December, with only 36 bottles of their first run left in stock and sales continuing to pour in, they chose to dump all 100 bottles of their second-batch vodka rather than sell it. It simply didn’t meet their high standard.

“Every sale is a first sale,” says Dave. “We want you to buy our product because it’s the best. Not because it’s here or you feel guilty because I poured some for you, but because you really like it.”

Their attention to quality and the artisan methods they’ve honed over several years of experimentation even before launching the distillery have paid off. At the 2015 BC Distilled Festival in April, Unruly Vodka beat out entries by 21 other micro distilleries across the province to take top prize as BC’s best craft-distilled vodka. Its second product, Unruly Gin, which they launched in February, was voted the second-best craft gin in the province.

Distilled from the same BC honey as their vodka and then infused with juniper and a blend of five other locally sourced botanicals, Unruly Gin is believed to be the first honey-based gin in the entire world. Not surprisingly, its flavor is entirely unique.

“We’d be considered an ultra small batch West Coast gin,” explains Dave. “It’s a weird little style that we do.” He goes on to explain how they experimented with dozens of botanicals, producing 30 trial gins before finally deciding on the blend that now comprises its Unruly Gin: juniper, lavender, coriander, orange peel, sarsaparilla root and green cedar tips. Another 10 trials were needed to get the right proportioning, and the result is nothing short of exceptional.

Whereas a typical London Dry gin has 10 times the amount of juniper compared to all other botanicals in the mix, Dave says the ratio in their gin is closer to 2:1. The result is a much more complex gin, both on the nose and the palate, that obviously impressed the connoisseurs at BC Distilled, and which Dave says also regularly wins over even those who adamantly profess to hate gin.

“We backed the juniper off really low, which leaves room for the other botanicals to come through,” says Dave.

“When you back the juniper off you lose that ‘gin’ smell and taste, so we paired it with green cedar tips—just enough to give you that foresty, woodsy smell, but not that woodsy taste.”

Up next for Wayward Distillation House is a lineup of “whimsical” varieties, such as an artisanal coffee liqueur expected out shortly, and possibly even a blueberry liqueur in conjunction with Blue Moon Winery. And that’s not all.

Along one wall of the Courtenay distillery sit two imposing wooden bourbon barrels sourced from Kentucky, one of which is currently filled with 200 litres of gin being slowly infused with the barrel’s oaky flavors. The Brimacombes expect to launch their first “barrel-aged” gin in time for Christmas.

The other barrel awaits Wayward’s next big innovation—a rum that will be distilled from a much more modern-looking barrel of batch-made caramelized honey. Wayward’s rum, which is expected to rival its other spirits in terms of both quality and uniqueness, is also expected out before Christmas.

Before arriving in the Comox Valley five years ago, Dave and Andrea hadn’t lived in the same place for three consecutive years since before Seinfeld stopped making new episodes. From Winnipeg (where Dave froze his hands on a luggage cart), to Cold Lake (where they first began playing with fermentation), to Irma, Alberta (where “all they do is sell porn and jerky to soldiers”), the Brimacombes have travelled this great land from coast to coast. When they arrived in the Comox Valley five years ago, however, they knew they’d found their home.

“We love it here,” says Andrea, noting the inspiring abundance of local producers and the “overwhelming” encouragement they’ve received. “This place is home town proud. They absolutely embrace anything that’s locally crafted. There has been such a fantastic outpouring of support from the community.”

The Brimacombes have wholeheartedly embraced the collaborative spirit of a rising tide of ambitious young professionals that are leaving their marks on the culture and economic makeup of the Comox Valley. They’ve partnered with Royston Roasting Company to produce their forthcoming coffee liqueur, they’re actively seeking similar partnerships with other local producers and they’re tight with the Valley’s new cohort of craft brewers.

“We’ve been in every corner of this country, and this is where we decided to put our roots down,” says Dave, who has already moved most of his extensive family to the Valley. “When people choose to put down roots, it shows a certain investment. We’ve bought into this town.”

The Brimacombes’ commitment to their new community is reflected in how they source their ingredients. All of their honey comes from BC (they would have sourced it from Vancouver Island but the quantity they need would have disrupted the local honey market), and they aim to use as many locally grown botanicals as possible in their gin. Already they get their lavender from Black Creek and their coriander and cedar tips from elsewhere in the Comox Valley. And the orange peel?

“The flowing orange fields of Merville haven’t come in yet,” says Dave in the good-natured deadpan you come to expect after just a few minutes with him. “I’m hoping by July that will change.”

Wayward Distillation House’s success at BC Distilled, along with successful appearances at Vancouver’s EAT Festival and other smaller events, has led to a sudden swell in demand for its honey-based spirits. Before BC Distilled, Unruly Vodka and Gin couldn’t be found anywhere in the Lower Mainland. Within a week of the festival, four liquor stores and one restaurant (Forage, in downtown Vancouver) were carrying the brand. As of this writing, Wayward’s spirits can be found at nearly two dozen Lower Mainland outlets and several on the South Island.

Closer to home, Unruly Vodka and Unruly Gin can be found at many of the Comox Valley’s independent liquor stores and at local restaurants like Locals, the White Whale and Red 21 at Chances Casino. Sales and samples are also available at the distillery itself—an elegantly repurposed welding shop on Moray Avenue in Courtenay—as well as at the Comox Valley and Campbell River Farmers’ Markets.

“Come in and have a sample,” invites Dave. “And if you forget what it tastes like, have another!”

On that note, Dave suddenly feels obligated to give an ominous warning. Could drinking Unruly Vodka and/or Unruly Gin possibly, in some situations, just maybe lead to unruly behavior?

“Yes, I think so,” he muses. “The government makes us acknowledge the fact that there is a chance you could get unruly.”

It’s a chance this writer is willing to take.

 

Wayward Distillation House is located on Moray Avenue in Courtenay. For information visit waywarddistillationhouse.com