It’s sowing time at the Distillerie des Cantons
- Martin McNicoll
- May 16, 2023
- 2 min read
Hello everyone!
Things are moving fast on the lands of the Distillerie des Cantons. Here is a look at our latest fieldwork as we prepare for our future batches.
The Barley Looks Good!
For our loyal followers, you probably remember that last year we unfortunately lost our entire barley crop. This year, it’s a whole different story: the fields are looking great! We even have a few geese hanging out in the field. Thankfully, we noticed they aren't eating our seeds; they just seem to be enjoying the fresh earth and the earthworms!
Paving the Way for Our Own Gin
Eventually, we want to distill our own gin, with the goal of having the vast majority of our botanicals grown right here on our farm, organically.
Juniper berries: It’s difficult to cultivate juniper in Quebec, but we are running a trial! With the help of Olivier and Gautier, we started planting them near our totem oak in the Speyside field. Olivier’s technique is simple and efficient: make a cross-cut in the soil to keep the local dirt intact, add a little chicken manure, insert the root plug, and press it closed without having to dig massive holes. Out of our goal of 250 plants, we’ve put about 100 in the ground so far, nicely situated at the edge of the fields near a small stream. We’ll check back in a year to see how they are taking root!
Iris germanica: Another key component of our future gin! We planted about thirty irises along the bank of a stream (just outside the riparian buffer zone), which is the perfect environment for them. Over time, we plan to divide and multiply them so we can harvest and dry the orris root to flavour our elixirs.
Our Future Barrels: American White Oaks
Remember back in the middle of winter when we showed you the clearing where we planned to plant our oaks? Well, the work is done! We have about thirty Quercus alba (American White Oak) planted here, which is the type of wood typically used to make aging barrels.
The results are very encouraging: the taller trees continue to grow, and the tiny ones are gaining strength. Because deers love to snack on new leaves, we made sure to protect all of our young oaks with nets.
See you soon for the next step in our agricultural adventures!
Martin
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