A Craft Spirit Pioneer Gets a Makeover.

Victoria Gin was the West’s first craft gin superstar and now it finally looks the part.

Victoria Gin $45It was way back in 2008 when I found myself driving around the Saanich Peninsula just north of Victoria looking for the address that without the aid of google maps. I finally found my destination—a rambling organic farm and as I pulled around the main house I came upon an outbuilding/distillery with a brand new German still wedged inside and a major lack of space. But from that modest shed came not only our first premium gin we could call our own but still one of the best craft gins around. We were so impressed with distiller Peter Hunt that we named him one of our Foodies of the Year.The only wrinkle….I never really loved the bottle. The short and squat glass was fine but when paired with the rendering of Queen Victoria it always looked overly staid to me—the opposite image I want from a trailblazer of a spirit. Well, this month the distillery, now the eminence grise of the craft spirits industry, moves into their new facility and launches a new bottle and both look amazeballs.Here’s Peter in the new digs. You can tour it. And here’s the new bottle—posing beside the old gal for reference.