Award-Winning Vancouver Island Craft Spirits
Best Coast Distillers won four awards at the 2026 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition — three of them for a single product, our estate-grown Agricole Rum. Judged blind by a national panel of experts, these awards represent independent recognition of what we’ve built here on Vancouver Island.
Our 2026 CASC Awards
Product Innovation Award — Agricole Rum
The Product Innovation Award recognizes spirits that overcome significant production or market challenges to create something genuinely new within their category. Our Agricole Rum is Canada’s first sorghum-based agricole — grown on our estate on the Saanich Peninsula and distilled here on Vancouver Island. Where traditional agricole rum is made from fresh-pressed sugarcane, ours uses estate-grown sorghum cane, making it a true first for Canadian craft distilling.
Judges described it as “a fascinating and unique rum… showing the potential of sorghum cane as a Canadian input.”
Excellence in Terroir Award — Agricole Rum
The Excellence in Terroir Award celebrates spirits that express a true sense of place — highlighting the land, ingredients, and climate where they are made. Our Agricole Rum earned this recognition for its deep connection to Vancouver Island’s coastal microclimate and estate-grown ingredients. As the judges noted: “Strongly expresses terroir and individuality” and “Never expected to see this level of sense of place expressed in a rum.”
CASC Silver Medal of Distinction — Agricole Rum
In addition to the Product Innovation and Excellence in Terroir awards, our Agricole Rum also earned a Silver Medal of Distinction at the 2026 CASC — making it a three-award spirit at a single national competition. For a first release of only 170 bottles, this level of recognition from a blind judging panel is extraordinary.
CASC Silver Medal — Coffee Whisky
Our Cold Brew Coffee Whisky earned a Silver Medal at the 2026 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition. Made with locally roasted coffee and small-batch Canadian whisky, it has become one of our most recognized spirits — smooth, rich, and distinctive. This is the second consecutive year our Coffee Whisky has received national recognition.
