Vancouver's annual celebration of B.C. spirits resumes in 2022

It's once again time to raise our collective glasses to the best of British Columbia-made spirits, as BC Distilled returns this spring after its two-year "pandemic pause."

The festival will take place over several days in early April, culminating in the signature tasting event, with two sessions, on April 9.

“We are overjoyed to be returning after two years off. The event will be a little smaller, a little quieter, with several new distilleries and lots of new spirits for people to try,” stated Alex Hamer, the festival’s founder. “BC Distilled brings together our province’s great community of distillers and spirit fans, and I know we’re all looking forward to getting together after this long break.”

The first opportunity to get together at BC Distilled will be April 6 for a B.C. Whisky Tasting, hosted by writer and Canadian whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux, and held at Copperpenny Distillery in North Vancouver. Next, the popular Distillers Dinner returns to Vancouver's acclaimed Forage restaurant on April 8. Forage Executive Chef Welbert Choi will feature five cocktail and spirit samples from B.C. distilleries, paired with five terroir-based courses. An optional cocktail reception preceding the dinner will take place next door at Forage's sibling spot BeSide, with a sixth distillery providing cocktails.

The main draw, however, is the tasting sessions. There will be two ticketed public tasting sessions on April 9; an afternoon option from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and an evening tasting from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Both BC Distilled public tastings take place at the Croatian Cultural Centre at 3250 Commercial Drive in Vancouver.

In addition to some beloved returning participants, the 2022 BC Distilled event will feature some first-timers.