Prince Edward Island: Making medical-grade moonshine
Paul Barrow, co-founder of Myriad View Distillery, stands next to the German-made copper, brass and stainless steel still he uses to make Prince Edward Island’s first legal moonshine.
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Updated: September 24, 2009 11:11 AM
John Masters,
Meridian Writers’ Group –
ROLLO BAY, P.E.I.—Here’s an innovative way for a small community to keep its new physician: let him legally make and sell moonshine.
At a late-autumn party in 2004, recently arrived Dr. Paul Barrow was being regaled by the locals with tales of how everyone on Prince Edward Island still imbibes moonshine at weddings. (It’s known here as “the honeymoon drink.”) If that’s the case, said Barrow, why couldn’t you buy it at the liquor store?
Ah, these come-from-aways, chuckled the locals. But no one really had a good answer (beyond “think of the bureaucracy!”) and Barrow began imagining how legal firewater might be made and sold.
Two-and-half years—and many legal hoops—later, Myriad View Distillery opened on a hill overlooking Rollo Bay, about seven kilometres [four miles] west of Souris. Souris (pop. 1,200) is home to the hospital Barrow works in. It may not be strictly accurate to say that he was granted a distillery license (#0001) because he’s a doctor and his wife, Angie Broustal, is a nurse, but it probably didn’t hurt, either.
And while it may seem surprising that someone would be granted a license to make moonshine in this day and age, P.E.I. is a particularly appropriate place for it. A little-known historical fact is that the island had the longest run of Prohibition of any province in Canada: it came into effect in 1901 and wasn’t abolished until 1948. A couple of generations grew up on the island without access to legal liquor and so resorted to making their own.
Even now, the tradition continues. “Every family on the island has a still,” says Barrow. “There are thousands.”
Barrow’s business partner, native islander Ken Mill, adds that, “It’s always been an honour for someone to say to you, ‘My daughter’s getting married, would you mind making the ’shine?” because it proves you’re a good ’shine maker.”
Fewer locals may hear that in future: it’s hard to compete with Barrow’s shiny, $40,000 brass, copper and stainless steel contraption from Christian Carl, one of several German companies that make state-of-the-art distilling equipment. With it, Barrow can easily skim off the “head,” the bitter, acidic first fruit of the distilling process, and use just the sweeter “heart” and more flavourful “tail” to produce a much smoother high-octane drink.
Two, in fact: Shine (100 per cent proof) and Lightning (150 per cent). In addition, Myriad View makes a small amount of rum (57.1 per cent—“true navy-strength rum,” Barrow says), as well as gin (51 per cent) and vodka (40 per cent).
It’s moonshine that sells the most, but Barrow’s gin has been a pleasant surprise. “I didn’t think anyone else would like it,” he says, “because I made it for myself. But it’s proving more popular than anything other than the Shine.”
Besides having a free tasting shop, for a fee Myriad View will let you come into the distillery and help whip up a batch, bottle and label it and take a 750-millilitre sample home. Just remember, says the proprietor, “Every bottle comes with a complimentary hangover.”
Explore More:
For more information on Myriad View Artisan Distillery visit its website at www.straitshine.com.
For information on travel in Prince Edward Island visit the Tourism P.E.I. website at www.gentleisland.com.
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