Stumbletown distillery is more than just a hidden gem to those who work there.
“It’s like my second home,” said Sagar Chhabra, Stumbletown’s bartender.
The distillery creates unique flavoured gins, whiskeys and beers made with local farmers’ grains – with one even helping local charities.
“The pink gin is basically the more tropical style of gin. Also … each time we sell a bottle, some certain percentage goes to the Breast Cancer Society in Saskatchewan,” Chhabra said.
The distillery uses grains like quinoa and lentils and then donates the leftover grains back to the farmers for fertilizer.
It creates a true local flavour and feel.
“I would say the first thing I learned when I came to Canada was how the environment here is supporting local. I came from Nepal. I never grew up with that kind of cause, you know. Since I came in, (a) small promise (I made is) that I always support local,” Chhabra said.
Stumbletown has been distilling for five years and the physical location has been open for a year and a half. It has won many awards, including the Canadian Brewers Choice Award for 2023’s best new beer for its Flipside Hazy IPA.
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“It’s a modern IPA. It’s not clear. It’s got a lot of hazy character, you know, as the name suggests, but it’s not as bitter as the old IPA used to be,” said Steven Maier, Stumbletown general manager and partner. “It’s very fruity, really, like lots of tropical fruits. And we just love the way that one turned out.”
Not only do they create unique liquors to bring home or taste test at the distillery, but people can learn from some of the best in the world how to blend different flavours through a class with their talented line of bartenders.
“You learn from the competitions and you try to get the best out of it and you use that as a tool for your next cocktail competitions or for your menus — whatever it’s inspired to the most,” Chhabra said.
The distillery is run by a group of four locals who are passionate about creating great-tasting liquors and having fun – but it began as a family business.
Maier said founder Craig Holland, who was working as a power engineer, and his brother started the business because they were “looking for something more interesting to do … and decided we want to have a little change of pace and do something maybe a little more exciting, a little more fun.”
Maier added that they wanted to be able to have fun, make drinks and make brewing, distilling and mixing not too serious.
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