The Best Quebec Whisky: A Crazy Idea and a Dream Come True

I invite you to travel back in time with me to March 2020.

I was at my cottage at Mount Owl’s Head in the Eastern Townships, where I spent the first six months of the pandemic in close contact with nature and the vast, open fields.

The view from my cottage grounds. It’s hard not to take the opportunity to dream!

Time stood still as we experienced—for the first time in our lives—supply chain issues of every kind. I was particularly struck by how these affected food products made right here in Quebec.

At the same time, the pandemic sparked an explosion in demand for my management systems consulting firm. After 18 years of hard work, my company was solid, and we were generating enough surplus revenue to think about launching a second business.

From the Farm to the Vineyard

I immersed myself in the world of online streaming, which led me to the series Les Fermiers (The Farmers) on Unis.tv.

The group's leader, Jean-Martin Fortier, is the author of a book on local agriculture. I was fascinated by his vision: how to develop a viable business model on just one hectare of land. It reminded me of the early days of my consulting firm, a business model born in an apartment!

I devoured both seasons of the series and bought the book. However, while I had dreams of becoming a farmer, I soon realized the profession wasn’t quite for me; my back wouldn't hold up, and cold rain doesn't exactly bring out the best in me!

I then considered turning toward vineyards, thinking of my friend Rémi Fournier. I first met Rémi at Fibre Noire, his first telecommunications company, which he has since sold to Vidéotron. He owns a farm, Au cœur du Pinacle, and has been preparing his vineyard project for some time now.

In addition to his great success, Rémi has a truly interesting approach and vision: creating a human-scale agricultural model while sharing his passion for wine—something that deeply inspired me.

The "Scotch" Lightbulb Moment

My passion for Scotch is a family affair; I share a love for this spirit with my brothers-in-law. We even took a trip to Scotland for my 50th birthday, where we toured a great many distilleries.

Discovering Scotch in Scotland: A Family Affair

I then asked myself a question: what if I combined my passion for entrepreneurship and Scotch by buying land, growing barley, and crafting a Scotch of my own?

That was how I set out in pursuit of a brand-new dream: creating a Canadian whisky (since the "Scotch Whisky" designation is reserved exclusively for products from Scotland).

The journey has begun, and I invite you to follow our adventures through this blog—from the dream to the reality!