The Victoria distillery makes waves with its Peat Project line and more.
At the 2025 Canadian Whisky Awards in Victoria, in January, 10 awards for Whisky of the Year were announced, including alternative grain whisky, wheat whisky and single malt whisky. Of these an impressive three – including the coveted Canadian Whisky of the Year award – went to Victoria’s Macaloney’s Island Distillery, principally for the work they have done in their Peat Project line, which explores the terroir of peat and its smoky influence on whisky.
Other accolades bestowed upon Macaloney’s included an award for Wheat Whisky of the Year and an industry-leading six gold medals, besting even such giants as Crown Royal and Canadian Club.
While justly proud of his distillery’s success, owner Graeme Macaloney was quick to also praise the burgeoning Canadian whisky market in general and the craft segment in particular.
Canada is number seven in the world for Scotch whisky consumption, which means that we have a lot of knowledgeable whisky consumers. So we craft guys have the advantage of providing a great tasting experience and a fantastic, genuine provenance and uniqueness. Graeme Macaloney
Photo – Cascadia Seaweed
Photo – Cascadia Seaweed
The full results of the 2025 Canadian Whisky Awards are available at canadianwhiskyawards.com. The Victoria Whisky Festival occurs annually in mid-January, with details available at victoriawhiskyfestival.com.
– Stephen Beaumont
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