UNITY -- nwPure, a division of the North West Terminal (NWT), held an open house Nov. 16, showing off their newest venture.
nwPure started purchasing used white oak barrels, filling them with neutral grain spirits (NGS) and storing them for a minimum of three years, creating authentic Canadian whiskey. Their first warehouse was built in January 2023 and is already close to capacity. The second warehouse was completed in November and more barrels have been ordered to fill the building.
NWT has become a permanent fixture for grain farmers from Unity and surrounding communities. When operations started in 1996, no one would expect the various expansions it has made over the years. The focus was initially on the grain purchase and selling for local farmers, alongside the expansion of the rail system for both CN and CP, allowing the NWT to sell grain to other markets.
In 2005, North West Bio-Energy Ltd. was established. The main goal was to produce ethanol for fuel, industrial and potable markets. After several upgrades, North West Bio Energy was able to enter into the specialty alcohol markets.
In 2020, the operating name for the alcohol division changed to North West Pure Alcohol & Spirits. This allowed the division to focus on multiple grades of alcohol, including industrial, pharmaceutical and beverage.
Rheann Alm, Alcohol Merchant and Logistics co-ordinator for nwPure grew up on her family’s farm and is excited this opportunity is available to grain farmers in the area.
“Rather than bringing in grain to create this product, we can keep costs down by purchasing the grain ourselves,” says Alm.
Production for the alcohol is done here in Unity. The NWT purchases wheat, corn and rye from local farmers, where it is milled into a course flour. Water is added to create a mash that can be pumped throughout the process. Four fermentation tanks are filled, where yeast is added to convert the sugars into alcohol. After roughly 45 hours of fermentation, the solids and water are separated from the alcohol in the distillation process. After being distilled, the alcohol is 96 per cent pure. The liquid goes through a dehydration process, removing the last four per cent of water. Once dehydrated, the alcohol can be used as renewable ethanol as a fuel additive. If the alcohol is to be used as an NGS, it goes through further purification in redistillation.
The solids and water from the distillation are further separated, then the remaining solids are dried. Once dried, a high protein animal feed is left, being sold to the cattle-feed industries. The remaining water is recycled back into the mash, creating a zero-waste loop and maximum efficiency.
Chief Engineer Jason Goring said that the whole process takes roughly 60 hours from the time the grain is milled.
The NGS can be sold to their clients as is used in vodka, gin, liqueurs, wine fortification, ready-to-drink beverages such as seltzers or coolers, plus much more. Last year, nwPure was asked by one of their clients if they would be interested in creating Canadian whiskey. Research was done on the process and what the market was like and soon nwPure started building the first storage facility for storing the ageing process.
For whiskey to be called Canadian, regulations state the spirit must be mashed, distilled and aged in Canada in small wood vessels for no less than three years. Most of the barrels being used were once used to create bourbon, which is generally stored in virgin barrels.
Each barrel holds roughly 200 litres of liquid, with slight variances between barrels. The inside of the barrels has a burnt char to them, allowing the alcohol to be further filtered while sitting. The amber colour we see with whiskey comes from the wood barrels, which is also aided by the charred inner wood of the vessels. These barrels can be used to age Canadian whiskey multiple times over, however, if the colour does not seem right, the barrel can be sent away to be re-charred, where the existing burn is scrapped away and a new burn is applied.
Currently, the first warehouse is close to full, housing between 9,000 and 10,000 barrels. All the whiskey that is currently being stored is already sold to clients, where most of it will sit for a minimum of three years. There is one client who has requested their barrels sit for 12 years.
“Typically, the longer a whiskey ages, the more premium the spirit will be. We are excited to have some amazing companies willing to work with us,” said Alm.
nwPure employs 36 individuals, working in various sectors of the processing. The lab technicians work with close to half a million dollars worth of laboratory equipment, ensuring that the protein, fat and carbohydrate levels are met during the processes, as well as the product is at the proper alcohol levels. Three employees monitor the automated system, ensuring everything is running at proper pressures and temperatures and without issues.
Just think, in a short three years, we could all be enjoying a Christmas drink that was grown, produced and aged right here in our little town.
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