Dunrobin Distillers expands in a big way

A short while ago I was honored to have received an invitation to attend the Swiss Ambassador to Canada's residence for an announcement about a business venture between Swiss whiskey producer Seven Seals and Ottawa's own Dunrobin Distilleries.

It was on the day of the event that the final contracts between the two companies had been signed, so the excitement was palpable. Attendees were beautifully turned out and good conversation was in the air as the libations flowed.

Dunrobin Distilleries had just come off some international successes winning awards in the UK Global Spirits Masters competition where they took Gold and Silver respectively for their Gin and Earl Grey Gin. At the US International Whisky Competition they took silver for both Best Canadian Whiskey and Best Canadian Rye Whiskey.

The partnership between Dunrobin and Seven Seals is significant for a number of reasons which I will get to. For Ottawa it spells millions injected into the local economy and a further $5.5 million investment from Seven Seals Innovation AG.

Dr. Dolf Stockhausen created a technology that allows whiskies to take on a well-aged character within just a few months instead of years, called Fast Forward Finishing (aka the Stockhausen Method). It is a technology that proves more sustainable as it requires less deforestation for barrel making.There are further economic advantages when whiskey barrels are not sitting in storehouses, sometimes aging for decades, taking up valuable real estate.Naturally, it also helps the whiskey get to market sooner.

Dunrobin expects to make their award winning whiskey in their traditional way, but will release new products using this groundbreaking method.

The people behind Dunrobin Distillers

The distillery was founded in 2017 by lifelong friends president Mark Watson and CEO Adrian Spitzer. It's a testament to the quality of their spirits and the talent they've assembled that they have signed this partnership, with international implications, in just five years.

There are further plans for expansion with a new facility being built in Stittsville. They will also be adding a training centre to further science and technology in the spirits production process.

Being a Canadian success story also means that there is a hockey connection. As managing director of Seven Seals Innovation in Canada James Hanlon said in a statement:

“I met Dr. Stockhausen 25 years ago while playing in Germany when his family company was a sponsor of the Krefeld Penguins. The Penguins, incidentally, are the home club of current Ottawa Senators Star Tim Stützle so we have come full circle!”

After the speeches, we broke for photos and canapes and got down to the business of sampling these award-winning spirits.

There will be a more detailed tasting profile to come in the weeks ahead but I was impressed by the quality and elegance of what was in my glass. All three Seven Seals products were so refined that I felt like I was drinking whisky more than ten years of age.

The Dunrobin rye whiskey was character-driven (nutty and peppery) but simultaneously soft and contemplative. It’s something I don't associate with many Canadian whiskies, as they are often designed for mixing. Earl Grey is my favourite afternoon tea and gin is a preferred tipple so their medal-winning Earl Grey Gin had to pass these lips with flying colours. Yes, we have a winner.

These are exciting times for Ottawa. We increasingly see top-flight culinary talent arrive. We have great breweries, KIN Vineyards near Carp winning bronze medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards. And now an international partnership that I suspect will only encourage further investment in the National Capital region.

“We set out to put Canada's capital on the map as a destination for premium spirits. With this partnership and the disruptive fast forward finishing technology that comes with it we are achieving that goal," CEO Adrian Spitzer said.

I'll end with an amusing bit of trivia. Dr. Stockhausen clearly has a singular and agile mind and to invent such a disrupting technology will have lasting benefits for the spirits industry. You have also likely benefited from one of his other inventions over the years, the fluid absorbing polymers that are used in every diaper around the world.

Thank you to the Swiss Embassy, Salome Meyer Swiss Ambassador to Canada and to Alyson Fair of Blue Sky Strategy Group for extending this invitation.

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