F E AT U R E
Quinn says the fact she’s a dual citizen
(she was born in Canada but moved to
Scotland at the age of one-and-a-half) made
moving to Canada easier. Discovering that
many Albertans share a Scottish heritage
helped ease the transition as well.
“Everyone here seems to have a story
or a family member who is Scottish, so you
kind of feel right at home straight away,”
she said.
Quinn says her science and distilling
background was huge benefit in her new
job as Eau Claire’s master distiller.
“Essentially, I came straight out of
school ready to hit the ground running and
make new products in a safe way,” she said.
Quinn says she loves what she does
and that one of the best things about working
for a craft distillery is the creative freedom
it provides.
“If I were working for a big industry
distiller, it would take a long time for something
in product development to get onto
the market. There are a lot of hoops you
need to jump through with bigger company,”
she said.
“As a craft distiller, I can see the process
start to finish and I have influence on
every single aspect of the distilling process,
from the raw materials to the day-to-day
operations. It’s nice to be able to actually
see a product go from an idea in my brain
Caitlin Quinn
In 2015, Caitlin Quinn completed a master’s
degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot-
Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland,
one of the most prestigious schools for
alcohol-making in the world.
Quinn enrolled in the program after
earning a degree in chemistry at the
University of Glasgow and deciding that life
as a chemist wasn’t for her.
“I started looking at ways to use my
chemistry degree but in a more interesting
way. I found the master’s course at Heriot-
Watt and decided to convert over to distilling,”
she said. “It was great to be able to use
my science training in a practical way.”
Quinn got the job as Master
Distiller at Eau Claire after the distillery
sought out potential applicants at
Heriot-Watt University.
“I was actually offered the job the
same day as my last exam at Heriot-Watt,”
she said.
Quinn says when she started the master’s
program in distilling, she wasn’t really
sure where she’d end up.
“This opportunity came up and it was
just perfect,” she said. “It meant moving
to another country, but I was open to the
challenge. It was just kind of perfect timing.
When they were looking for someone, I was
looking for a change.”
to on the shelf, sometimes within as short
space of time as two to three weeks.”
Quinn says she has plenty of room to
experiment with spirits at Eau Claire.
“We have a branch of our products that
we call the Distiller Series that we do in small
batches, and it’s our way to kind of play with
flavors,” Quinn said, noting that two of Eau
Claire’s core products – Cherry Gin and a
flavoured vodka called Prickly Pear Equinox
– started out as Distiller Series offerings.
One of only five women in her class of
60 at Heriot-Watt, Quinn believes she’s the
only female master distiller in Alberta and
acknowledges that it’s uncommon to see
women with distilling jobs or owning distilleries
in Canada. But she believes that’s
changing as the craft distillery business continues
to grow and more woman learn about
the opportunities offered by the industry.
“People are surprised that you can go
to school and get an education for distilling,”
she said. “More people are becoming aware
of that, so I think that’s making it a more
viable option for a lot of people.”
Quinn says she’s grateful for her distilling
education and has no regrets about making
the switch from chemistry to spirits.
“I think it’s a better industry and more
fun,” she said. “You can actually drink what
you make at the end of it, unlike when you’re
doing other chemistry jobs.”
“As a craft distiller, I can see
the process start to finish
and I have influence on
every single aspect of the
distilling process, from
the raw materials to the
day-to-day operations. It’s
nice to be able to actually
see a product go from an
idea in my brain to on the
shelf within sometimes
as short space of time as
two to three weeks.”
– Caitlin Quinn, Eau Claire Distillery
Photo courtesy of Eau Claire Distillery
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