During this time the distillery expe-rienced
a change in ownership structure
followed by a series of mergers, acquisi-tions
and divestitures. These events also
moved the production of Black Velvet from
Toronto to the newly built Palliser Distiller
in Lethbridge. It’s now called the Black
Velvet Distilling Company and is one of the
eight traditional Canadian distilleries still
in operation.
Notable for its silky-smooth taste and
light hints of caramel, Black Velvet sold
almost two million cases in the U.S. in 2018,
out of approximately 16.8 million cases of
imported Canadian whisky. “It’s become
the second-largest selling Canadian whisky
in the world,” said Bilodeau.
Black Velvet’s popularity eventually
reached the ears of Max L. Shapira, presi-dent
of Heaven Hill Brands, who added the
Canadian whisky to its extensive portfolio
of high-quality spirits, which also include
Evan Williams Bourbon, Burnett’s Vodka,
Deep Eddy Vodka, Admiral Nelson’s Rum
and Christian Brothers Brandy.
For Bilodeau, he views the acquisition
as fate: Heaven Hill Brands wanted the
Canadian expertise along with the
Canadian process of producing and aging
whisky in small wood barrels for a least
three years. Heaven Hill Brands made sure
the quality and consistency of Black Velvet
Canadian Whisky remained uninterrupted
by retaining all of the current employees
and ensuring that production stays
in Lethbridge.
Black Velvet’s storied history has
also influenced and evolved the taste of
the whisky since its creation in 1951. For
example, while the current version of the
whisky consists largely of corn and is based
on Gilbey Distillery’s original recipe, since
its relocation to Lethbridge, the recipe was
altered slightly to include glacier-fed Rocky
Mountain water in the distillation process.
Each week the distillery receives the
equivalent of eight to 10 railcar loads of
corn from Canada, and the American
Midwest, and each year uses 1,500 tonnes
of locally-grown rye grain to keep up their
Notable for its silky-smooth taste
and light hints of caramel, Black
Velvet sold almost two million
cases in the U.S. in 2018, out of
approximately 16.8 million cases
of imported Canadian whisky.
D I S T I L L E R Y P R O F I L E
14 § POURED CANADA § www.poured.ca
/www.poured.ca
