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Whispering Dutchman Distillery opens doors to the public with soft launch

“It was as simple as gin and tonic on a Friday afternoon that turned the key."
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Whispering Dutchman Distillery owner Bruce Van Leeuwen holds his award winning gin and vodka on the distillery floor on Monday (Sept. 28). (Chelsea Kemp/The Cochrane Eagle)

COCHRANE— Opening their doors to the public with a soft launch this weekend, Whispering Dutchman Distillery is embracing the Albertan entrepreneurial spirit.

Whispering Dutchman owner Bruce Van Leeuwen said the idea to start a distillery in Cochrane was ignited while sipping a Friday afternoon drink in his previous life working in the eyeglass business.

“It was as simple as gin and tonic on a Friday afternoon that turned the key,” Van Leeuwen said with a laugh. “In my previous employment, we would often end our week with a gin and tonic ... At some point, the lady owner of the optical shop we were in said, ‘we should make gin.’”

The conversation stuck in Van Leeuwen’s head and he began working on a business plan to bring a distillery to Cochrane. He began to gain momentum and was soon taking tangible steps to launch Whispering Dutchman Distillery.

The distillery held a soft opening on Saturday (Sept. 26) that served as a way to welcome friends and families to drop by and see how the distillery is taking root in the community.

Whispering Dutchman has been in the works for two-years, Van Leeuwen said, and began officially producing spirits about eight months ago.

It has been a challenge getting the doors open to the public, as they have had to maneuver through numerous government regulations.

“The regulations are really geared against small distilleries opening up. It’s just not something that was commonplace even six years ago,” Van Leeuwen said.

The rules are slowly changing and adapting to the growing demand for craft distilleries and the processes in place are becoming easier to navigate.

“It was not a case where you found people were against it, as much as it was trying to navigate the rules as they exist today,” Van Leeuwen said. “This was new for this area.”

He explored two other locations to launch the distillery inside the Town of Cochrane and a location near Calaway Park in Rocky View County, Van Leeuwen said, but they encountered zoning issues and were denied.

The distillery eventually found a home in the Griffin Industrial area. Van Leeuwen added he is grateful for the support the Town of Cochrane has shown in navigating the launch of a distillery and the help they have received from Cochrane Tourism and Half Hitch Brewing.

He added Whispering Dutchmen especially appreciates Krang Spirits Inc. owner Susan Ransom and the path she paved for distilleries to move into town.

“She had already kicked down a ton of barriers,” Van Leeuwen said, explaining how the Town is becoming more open to small locally run distilleries. “I think it’s fair to say whoever the next person is that proposes a new distillery in this Town will find it even easier.”

Van Leeuwen said he was motivated to open a distillery in Cochrane because he loves the town and the potential it has in becoming a must-see tourist destination.

“I think it’s an undiscovered gem in the entire Southern Alberta,” Van Leeuwen said. “This place has a stand-alone charm that is undeveloped.”

Whispering Dutchman currently specializes in distilling gin and vodka. Van Leeuwen added they hope to expand operations to include whiskies sometime in the future.

The distillery is working to secure ingredients from the most local sources possible, Van Leeuwen said, adding they will source from other areas when necessary.

Van Leeuwen described Whispering Dutchman gin as a more contemporary flavour in comparison to the London dry gin most people are familiar with.

“We’ve taken out a little bit of the juniper berry profile and enhanced that with our other botanicals,” Van Leeuwen said. “It’s a little more friendly of a gin. It’s the kind of gin you would be able to drink if you’re not a gin drinker.”

They have spent countless hours developing the Whispering Dutchman vodka, Van Leeuwen said, filtering and distilling the spirit into a pure and pleasant flavour.

“A high profile wine expert in Calgary gave us his opinion and he expressed that it is much like a sake. It’s really kind of a full flavour profile,” Van Leeuwen said.

There is a magic to distilling, he added, explaining that with the right combination of ingredients one can craft a unique and delicious spirit.

Whispering Dutchman Distillery spirits are available in 15 liquor stores across Southern Alberta including Vinestone in Cochrane.

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