In the new Quarrie Room at Ironworks Distillery, Tyla Carey, assistant events manager and mixologist for the evening, tops off the contents of her stainless steel cocktail shaker with crushed ice and gives it a vigorous shake. She pours the drink into a dozen small glasses and garnishes each with a thin strip of cucumber. Now there stands an array of Ironworks Mojitos, made with mint-flavored simple syrup, lime juice, club soda, and the distillery’s Rum Boat Rum, a blend of amber rums aged in bourbon barrels aboard Black Beauty, the distillery’s boat warehouse that floats in Lunenburg Harbour. “Amber adds a nice color and flavor,” Carey says. 

An Ironworks mojito

Tonight is the grand opening of the Quarrie Room—the distillery’s new expansion—and the welcome party for a new still (or, apparatus used to make spirits like vodka, gin and whiskey) named Ruby. “She was custom built for us in the Black Forest region of Germany,” says Lynne MacKay, co-founder, co-owner, and distiller. 

“The new space was fashioned to echo the lines and patterns of the original timber frame buildings of Lunenburg. Since founded in 1893 and right up until approximately 2000, the Walters’ shop forged ironworks—hence our name—for many of the famous vessels built here, including Bluenose I and Bluenose II, and tall ships Bounty and Rose.”

When Ironworks opened just over a decade ago in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Lunenburg, it was Nova Scotia’s first artisanal distillery. MacKay credits the provincial alcohol regulator for making Ironworks possible. 

Sunset in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

“The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation was extraordinarily helpful in 2009 when we had the slightly eccentric concept of starting a micro-distillery. Of all the provincial jurisdictions in Canada, they were the most accommodating and practical.”

These changes led to an explosion of artisanal beer, wine, and spirit makers across the province. Today, there are close to 20 craft distilleries. New producers are popping up from one end of Nova Scotia to the other, and some of those already in operation, like Ironworks, are expanding. As they do so, they’re winning attention and awards worldwide.   

Something-special spirits 
Willing to Learn Gin by the Nova Scotia Spirit Company took home double gold at the American Distilling Institute’s 2017 judging of craft spirits, just two years after opening. Their Blue Lobster Vodka and the gin both won silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Keeping with the nautical theme, they make a white rum called Fisherman’s Helper.

Other distilleries in the province have also brought home big awards. A mere five years after opening, Steinhart Distillery won Canadian Gin Distiller of the Year at the 2019 Berlin International Spirits Competition. The same year, they took home the title for Best Classic Gin in the World at the 2019 World Gin Awards in London, England.   

Only Glenora Distillery pre-dates Ironworks, but because it was North America’s first single malt whiskey distillery, Glenora is in a class of its own. Pristine waters flow from the surrounding wild highlands right through the distillery in a lonely corner of Cape Breton Island. 

Whiskey distilled in Nova Scotia

Glenora distilled its first batch in 1990, and their whiskeys have been appearing on best-of lists ever since. Their 21-year-old Glen Breton Rare took home the gold medal at the 2016 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition. The distillery created Glen Breton Ice 10 Year Old by aging some of its whiskeys in Ortega Ice Wine barrels from Jost Vineyards, one of the province’s oldest wineries. The result is classic single malt with hints of sweetness and fruit from the grapes, suggesting honey, apple, and spice up front with a finish of cherry, ginger, and wine. It’s a uniquely Nova Scotia spirit.   

Very cool wines
Ice wine itself is a Nova Scotia specialty. It’s made with grapes that have frozen naturally on the vine at temperatures of at least -17.6ºF. Harvesting is usually carried out by hand at night in winter. “The acids in our soils lead to well balanced and complex ice wine that is just the perfect level of sweet,” says Alexander MacDonald, executive director of the Winery Association of Nova Scotia. 

With over 70 grape growers and nearly two dozen wineries in this small province, Nova Scotia’s 40-year-old wine industry has grown steadily. “Nova Scotia’s cool maritime climate, rocky soils, and a moderating ocean influence are some of the distinct characteristics that create our unique terroir, which is perfectly suited for the production of world-class sparkling and white wines,” MacDonald says. 

Magic Winery Bus

Tidal Bay is a testament to this terroir. About half of the province’s wineries have created their own version of this, Nova Scotia’s first appellation. All are made with Nova Scotia grapes of prescribed varieties. Stylistically, Tidal Bay tends to be fresh and crisp with a bright signature aroma and brisk minerality. Tidal Bay was designed to pair perfectly with Nova Scotia’s famous seafoods. 

“This is an emerging wine region with very unique and exclusive varietals and styles of wine,” MacDonald says. One style that’s proving a perfect match with Nova Scotia’s terroir is sparkling wines made by the same traditional methods used in France since the 16th century. L’Acadie Vineyards in the Gaspereau Valley specializes in hand-tended sparkling wines. Their aged organic Brut, Sparkling Rosé, and Vintage Cuvée wines are international medal winners. For a fun introduction to Nova Scotia wines, board the Magic Winery Bus that takes visitors on a series of winery tours. 

A boom in beers and ciders
Traditional-method fermentation suits apples as well, for which the province’s Annapolis Valley is famous. Flavorful apple varieties like organically grown russet, spy, Jonagold, and orange pippin are fermented using the same traditional methods to create a fine mousse finish in L’Acadie Vineyards Organic Cider. 

A large pile of apples, freshly picked in the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia

New cideries are springing up on family farms like Noggins and Elderkin. They’ve been growing apples and pressing fresh apple cider for generations. In this new environment of support for artisanal alcoholic beverages, they’re now fermenting crisp, easy-drinking hard ciders as well. Creatively named ciders like No Boats on Sunday, Chainyard, Bulwark, and ShipBuilders make for an exciting cider scene proudly linked to Nova Scotia maritime character.   

Similarly, the best beers are linked to the spirit and terroir of Nova Scotia, like Sober Island’s Oyster Stout made with nearby Pristine Bay Oysters for roasted undertones and a clean, mineral finish. When a hurricane knocked out power at Boxing Rock Brewery in Shelburne, they created Tantoaster, the local name for a big storm. It’s a Baltic-style porter made with dark chocolate malt and spicy pine hops. 

It’s in beer production where regulatory changes have made the most difference. In just a couple of decades, over 60 craft breweries have opened from one end of the province to the other, each brewing according to the preferences and imaginations of their brew masters. Breton Brewing, located at the northern end of the province in Sydney, makes everything from the easy-drinking Island Time Lager to substantial-sipping beers like Storm Chaser Vanilla Oatmeal Stout. Heritage Brewing excels at light beers like Kilometer 0 Cream Ale, named for their location at the southern tip of the province in Yarmouth. 

Breton Brewing

The best way to see Nova Scotia’s exploding beer scene at a glance is via the map on the website of the Nova Scotia’s Good Cheer Trail. The good news for craft beer fans heading to Nova Scotia is that many breweries like Boxing Rock, Saltbox, and Good Robot are equipped with a tap room for tasting some of province’s brews that now number in the hundreds. 

Back at Ironworks, it’s time for another cocktail: “Resistance is Futile” is made with Rhubarb Espirit, fresh strawberries, and Ironwork’s own Amber Rum. Nicknamed “pie in a glass,” the taste of spring is in every sip. MacKay says that we should all return to Lunenburg and Ironworks in 2021 to help celebrate the launch in this very harbor of the world’s most famous schooner, the Bluenose II. “That’ll be some party,” MacKay says. I sip my cocktail, thinking there’s no way I’m going to miss that anniversary. Resistance is futile.