The distillery scene in Moose Jaw has been heating up in recent years, with Canada’s Most Notorious City welcoming the Moose Jaw Brewing Company, Honey Pot Distillery, and Luby Bower Distillery all within the last three years.
More established distilleries in Moose Jaw and surrounding areas include the city’s own Prairie Bee Meadery and Last Mountain Distillery in Lumsden.
Each of the area’s crafters emphasizes the taste, quality, and consistency of their products. Tour-and-tasting sessions allow patrons a look at the production process, let them meet the owners and artisans behind the business, learn how the various alcohols are produced and flavoured, and appreciate the history and effort that goes into making a unique spirit or brew.
Last Mountain Distillery in Lumsden
Located in Lumsden, SK, about an hour outside of Moose Jaw, Last Mountain Distillery specializes in unique flavours and producing a smooth flavour experience.
Colin and Meredith Schmidt first built their business in 2010 — Saskatchewan’s first micro-distillery. They offer a diverse range of whiskies, vodkas, gins, rums, and flavoured liqueurs.
Their signature products include a best-selling, naturally infused dill pickle vodka, an organic cherry whisky, and their apple pie moonshine.
Prairie Bee Meadery
Prairie Bee Meadery, as the name suggests, specializes in traditional alcoholic beverages made from honey. The Meadery sources its honey from its own apiaries and offers a selection of meads that include spiced and fruit-infused blends.
The Meadery grew from a u-pick farm called Grandpa’s Garden. It grew sour cherries, strawberries, raspberries, haskap berries, melons, and some market garden vegetables. Since bees are essential to the pollination of so many fruit plants, Grandpa’s Garden soon branched out into honey — Grandpa’s Garden Fruit Honey is still sold at their farm and storefront.
The family soon began finding another use for all their honey, and in 2016, Prairie Bee Meadery was launched. Signature products include pineapple, strawberry, Saskatoon berry, and plum meads.
Moose Jaw Brewing Company
This nano/micro-brewery is another hobby project by locals who simply love the craftmanship of making their own beer.
The co-founders are Terry Zwarich and brothers Cody and Cory Schulze. After years learning the necessary skills, developing a launch plan, and renovating their warehouse space, the three enthusiasts launched their first product line in January 2022.
Moose Jaw Brewing Company is committed to quality, freshness, and consistency in their product. They produce four carefully tuned beverages: the Sleep Walker, a Belgian IPA; the Cabaret, a crisp and light premium pale lager; the Inkwell, a dramatically dark German Schwarzbier lager; and the Long English Lager, a refreshing, juicy, light pour.
The Moose Jaw Brewing Company does not yet have a tap room. Their products are sold at the following businesses:
- Bugsy’s Irsh Pub
- Cask82
- Sobey’s Liquor
- The Crushed Can Rec Room & Bar
- Moose Jaw Events Centre
- Prairie Brew Supply
Honey Pot Distillery & Pub
The family-owned and run Honey Pot Distillery held its grand opening in Dec. 2022. Located about 20 minutes west of Moose Jaw, they currently offer two beverage products: the Honey Pot Distillery Vodka and the Honey Pot Distillery Whikie — an unaged whisky.
Proprietors Cory and Stacey Martin decided to open a micro-distillery and restaurant in 2017 after a particularly good honey harvest from their onsite apiary.
Rather than go the mead route, the couple specialize in vodka and whiskey, with a fully aged selection on the way that will eventually expand to include rum and gin.
Their smokehouse pub menu — called the ‘Grazing Trough’ — includes smoked surf and turf tacos, burnt pork ends, and deep-fried pickles.
The Honey Pot Distillery is open on Thursdays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (trivia night), Fridays 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays for brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Luby Bower Distillery
Another family project, Luby Bower is named after the founders’ grandmothers and opened its doors at 1300 Lakeview Road in March 2023. They offer tours of the distillery, which includes a giant, custom-built still from Canadian company Revival Stillworks, and rentals of the beautifully laid out front seating area with copper-topped bar and their Irish snug-style dart room.
The distillery’s initial product line includes a Luby Bower Vodka and a popular lavender-hibiscus Luby Bower Gin. A properly aged Luby Bower Whisky is on the way, along with a variety of other spirits as the business establishes itself in the coming years.
Luby Bower Distillery is currently closed on Mondays and Sundays, open for reservations and tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
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