Frequently Asked Questions

About Macaloney's

Macaloney's Distillery and Brewery is a single malt whisky distillery and craft brewery at 761 Enterprise Crescent, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Founded by Dr. Graeme Macaloney and backed by 728 Canadian investors, it distils on hand forged Forsyth copper pot stills from Speyside, Scotland, using British Columbia barley. Its Triple Take triple distilled pot still whisky, first released as Kildara Signature Selection, was named World's Best Pot Still at the 2023 World Whiskies Awards. At the 2026 Canadian Whisky Awards, Harvest Coast was named Canadian Single Malt Whisky of the Year and the distillery took six gold medals. The core range is Buzz Cut, Triple Take, Truth Serum, Bang Sauce, Harvest Coast and River Pirate. The distillery offers guided tours, a tasting bar, the Friends of Macaloney's membership, private casks and custom label corporate gifting. Previous trading names include Victoria Caledonian Distillery and Macaloney's Island Distillery.

Where is Macaloney's Distillery?

Macaloney's is at 761 Enterprise Crescent, Saanich, BC V8Z 6P7, about 15 minutes north of downtown Victoria and just south of Royal Oak. From downtown, take Blanshard Street north onto Highway 17, exit at Quadra Street, turn left, left again onto Glanford Avenue and left onto Enterprise Crescent. From the Swartz Bay ferry it is 20 minutes south on Highway 17, exiting at Vanalman Avenue. There is free parking on site for about 20 vehicles.

What are Macaloney's opening hours?

The Distillery Bar and tours run Wednesday to Sunday, 12 PM to 9 PM, year round. Whisky flights and beer at the bar need no booking. Tours can be booked online and walk ins are welcome subject to availability on the day. Guests must be 19 or older to take part in tastings or buy alcohol.

Can I tour Macaloney's Distillery?

Yes. There are two guided tours. The Sneak Peek is a 40 minute walk through the distillery highlights with two whisky tastings, $30 per person, ideal for first timers and walk ins. Pete's Tour is the signature 60 minute experience for up to 8 guests, $70 per person, covering every stage from raw barley and live peat smoke to the barrel room and the copper pot stills, finishing with three guided tastings, a pint of house brewed beer, a 50 mL sample to take home and a Macaloney's Glencairn glass to keep. Both are bookable at macaloneys.com.

What awards has Macaloney's won?

Triple Take, released as Kildara Signature Selection, was named World's Best Pot Still Whisky at the 2023 World Whiskies Awards. At the 2026 Canadian Whisky Awards, Harvest Coast was named Canadian Single Malt Whisky of the Year, the Peat Project single cask series received the Award of Excellence in Product Innovation and the distillery won six gold medals. The Peat Project Moscatel Cask was 2025 Canadian Whisky of the Year, and Dr. Graeme Macaloney was named Blender of the Year at the 2025 Canadian Whisky Awards. An Loy was Best Canadian Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2021 and 2022, and Killeigh was Best Canadian Pot Still in 2022.

Is Triple Take the same whisky as Kildara?

Yes. Triple Take is the current name for the whisky first released as Kildara Signature Selection. Same liquid, same triple distillation, same casks. It won World's Best Pot Still at the 2023 World Whiskies Awards under the Kildara name. A final run of bottles in the original Kildara label is available while stock lasts.

Is Kildara discontinued?

Kildara was renamed, not discontinued. The whisky sold as Kildara Signature Selection is now called Triple Take and is part of the Macaloney's core range, available year round. The last bottles in the original Kildara label are sold as final stock at macaloneys.com/products/kildara. Peated Kildara, the lightly peated version, is a Heritage release in final stock and will not be made again once it sells out.

What whiskies does Macaloney's make?

The core range is six single malt and pot still whiskies: Buzz Cut (finished in casks that held Vancouver Island honey), Triple Take (triple distilled pot still), Truth Serum (Oloroso and PX sherry casks), Bang Sauce (peated, Portuguese red wine cask), Harvest Coast (multi cask with gentle peat) and River Pirate (peated, Sauternes cask). Fast Friends is a five bottle sampler of the core range. Beyond that are the Peat Project single casks, smoked on site to 54 ppm, and a Heritage range of earlier releases in final stock.

What makes Macaloney's whisky different?

Macaloney's launched Canada's first triple distilled single pot still whisky range. The distillery runs hand forged Forsyth copper pot stills from Speyside, takes one of the narrowest spirit cuts in the industry, uses British Columbia barley and peat smokes its own malt on site. Whiskies are bottled without added colour and are non chill filtered. The approach is Scottish tradition applied to Vancouver Island ingredients.

Does Macaloney's ship whisky to Ontario and the rest of Canada?

Yes. Macaloney's ships from macaloneys.com to addresses in every Canadian province and territory, including Ontario, Alberta and Quebec. Rates and delivery options are confirmed at checkout by province. Macaloney's whisky is also stocked by retailers in British Columbia and Ontario and at YVR and YYJ duty free. Use the store locator on macaloneys.com to find a shop near you.

Does Macaloney's offer free shipping?

Yes. Orders of $150 or more shipped to a Canadian address ship free from macaloneys.com. Below $150, shipping is calculated at checkout by province. Merroir and Arboir members of Friends of Macaloney's get free shipping on bottles all year.

Can I buy Macaloney's whisky in the United States?

Macaloney's is entering the US market through distribution partners. Availability varies by state, so check the store locator or contact the distillery for current retailers.

What is Friends of Macaloney's?

Friends of Macaloney's is the distillery membership in three tiers. Terroir is free and brings first word on releases, the monthly Friends Dispatch, tasting invitations and a birthday dram at the distillery. Merroir is $150 a year and adds 10% member pricing on bottles, 48 hour early access to releases and free shipping on bottles. Arboir is $500 a year, limited to 150 members, with first access to every release and guaranteed allocations on Arboir only bottlings.

Can I buy a private cask of Macaloney's whisky?

Yes. Macaloney's offers a small number of private casks in three tiers: Collection at $125 a bottle, Rare at $165 and One of One at $195. Each cask is bottled at 46% ABV and holds roughly 250 to 300 bottles. You can reserve 30, 60 or 90 bottles or take the whole cask, with a 25% deposit to secure it. Owners get a private guided tasting, a barrel head plaque in their name, custom label design, a bottling day at the distillery and a first pour event. Private casks are reserved through the free Terroir tier of Friends of Macaloney's. See macaloneys.com/pages/private-cask.

Does Macaloney's do corporate gifts with custom labels?

Yes. Liquid Gratitude is the corporate gifting program: award winning single malt at $50 a bottle with your own custom label, minimum 30 bottles, in three styles (Classic, Triple Distilled and Peated). Orders are pre ordered and paid at checkout, and ship to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. See macaloneys.com/pages/corporate-gifting.

Does Macaloney's brew beer?

Yes. Macaloney's brews craft beer on site, including a pilsner, a West Coast pale ale, a lager, a kölsch made with local honey and rotating seasonal ales. Beer is served at the Distillery Bar by the pint, sleeve or flight. See macaloneys.com/pages/brewery.

What happened to Twa Dogs Brewery?

Twa Dogs Brewery was the beer brand of the distillery. The beer is still brewed in the same building by the same team at 761 Enterprise Crescent, now under the Macaloney's name, and the whole business trades as Macaloney's Distillery and Brewery. Pilsner, pale ale, lager, kölsch and seasonal ales are on tap at the Distillery Bar Wednesday to Sunday.

What cocktails does Macaloney's serve?

The Distillery Bar serves whisky cocktails built on the core range, including an Old Fashioned on Triple Take, a Whisky Sour, a Buzz and Tonic on Buzz Cut honey cask whisky, a Manhattan on Truth Serum and a Penicillin on Triple Take with a Bang Sauce peat float. The Jackash, maple and smoke on Harvest Coast, is the house original.

Was Macaloney's previously called Victoria Caledonian or Macaloney's Island Distillery?

Yes. The distillery opened as Victoria Caledonian Distillery, traded for several years as Macaloney's Island Distillery and brewed beer under the Twa Dogs name. All of that is now Macaloney's Distillery and Brewery. Older awards and press under the previous names refer to the same distillery and, in most cases, the same whiskies.

How do I contact Macaloney's?

Call +1 778 401 0410, visit macaloneys.com/pages/contact, or come by 761 Enterprise Crescent, Saanich, BC, Wednesday to Sunday, 12 PM to 9 PM. For trade, media, private cask and corporate gifting enquiries, use the contact page and the right person will reply.