RAW Distillery was established in 2016 by Husband and wife team, Brad and Lindsay Smylie. RAW Distillery Ltd. is an emerging distillery creating high-quality craft spirits in Alberta. The mission of the distillery is to help bring innovation to the craft distilling industry using RAW Alberta Grains and Glacier water from the Rocky Mountains.

In February 2017, raw distillery produced their first batch of craft distillate. The previous several years were a period of growth for Brad and Lindsay. It has been an exciting challenge for both the partners from the procedure of obtaining the license, to designing and building a distilling facility, to experimenting with the taste and ingredients.

Lindsay brought her expertise from the business world, while Brad brought his 10 years’ experience as an award-winning beer brewer. Being a craft brewer at heart, Brad understands the delicate balance between flavour profile and structure of craft distillates. Their expertise from the business world has made them enter the burgeoning world of local craft distilling with a mission to create “Bold Spirits” and a “tasting adventure” for consumers.

To date, Raw Distillery products include vodka, peppercorn gin and an unaged rye finished in port barrels. A citrus gin is next to be bottled, followed by a botanical gin, as well as some collaboration, including a peppercorn gin Caesar with Bow Valley BBQ’s Parkway Clamato.

Spirits in a glass – History

The great-grandson of booze bootlegger “Nona,” an Italian-Canadian woman back in the 1920s, Brad Smylie, has had an unconventional upbringing with booze. Smylie got his start in creating moonshine by combining various ingredients with his grandfather in an old mining town in Ontario.

Smylie’s great-grandmother used to deliver her moonshine—dubbed Recreation Rye and Cobalt Bloom—in milk jugs to “blind pigs,” another name for a speakeasy. The idea behind the name was that people would pay for a look at a blind pig (or some other unusual animal) and, along with a peek at said critter, receive an alcoholic beverage.

Spirits Range

RAW RYE Unaged

Supporting local farmers while handcrafting sophisticated, yet complicated spirits. Seasonal Rye is an award-winning, limited release of Rye Unaged.

Rye unaged is an incredibly smooth and remarkably refined spirit. The combination of floral notes of stone fruit, vanilla and Rye spiciness is pleasing to the nose.

Distillery – RAW Distillery
Ingredients – 100% Alberta Rye
ABV – 40%
Bottle Size - 375ml, 750ml

Pairing - Pairs great with a spicy ginger soda on a hot day.

RAW Vodka

In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the world’s most majestic glaciers release the purist water to one of Canada’s most pristine mountain towns.

Raw Vodka is clean highly drinkable handcrafted vodka that proudly highlights the best Alberta has to offer.

Distillery: RAW Distillery

Ingredients: RAW Alberta wheat 

ABV – 40%

Bottle Size – 750ml

RAW Citrus Gin

Citrus Fin is produced in a three-stage process capturing the RAW Citrus essence that is sure to please.

Handcrafted using three small batch distillation methods and bottled by hand in Canmore, AB.

Distillery – RAW Distillery

Botanicals – Juniper, Lemon Zest, Coriander, Lemon Verbena, Orris root, Lavender, grapefruit Pu’er

ABV – 40%

Bottle Size – 750ml

RAW Citrus Gin is a summer classic sure to be a stable addition to your mixing arsenal.

RAW Peppercorn Gin

Tellicherry Peppercorns are highlighted in this bold, yet sophisticated gin. Select botanicals and Alberta Rye sourced from local farmers’ sets the stage for this incredibly flavourful expression of gin.

Distillery – RAW Distillery

ABV – 40%

Bottle Size – 750ml

Pairing - Pairs great with cucumber, basil, strawberry, or cassia.

RAW Botanical Gin

Available winter 2017

Artisan hand-crafted selection featuring premium sourced botanicals and RAW Alberta wheat from local farmers.

Distillery – RAW Distillery

ABV – 40%

Bottle Size – 750ml

For more information on RAW Distillery, please visit www.rawspirits.ca