BC Distilled

A celebration of spirits and craft distilleries, Vancouver’s BC Distilled features events that centre around enjoying local spirits and having a good time.

In 2024 the event celebrated its ninth year and happened on Saturday, April 13th.

BC Distilled is one of a number of alcohol-related events in the Lower Mainland. One of the most prestigious is the Vancouver International Wine Festival which also takes place in the spring. Other events include Whisky Global, Hopscotch Festival, and Punchbowl, which are also good, but smaller. There are lots of craft beer festivals in the Lower Mainland too.

To learn about the BC Distilled event, continue reading.

This article contains information about the following BC Distilled events:

Whisky Tasting | Trade and Media Tasting | The Main Event | Other Information

BC Distilled in Vancouver

BC Distilled is the biggest local distillery spirits festival in the country. It started in 2014 and the 2024 event featured over 30 BC distilleries.

This year’s main event ran on April 13th, but there were also large tasting sessions and other events in the days leading up to the festival. The first of the earlier events was a whisky tasting on April 10th and 11th. There was also a special tasting event on April 13th for members of the Vancouver bar, restaurant and media industries.

Ticket prices ranged from around $60 to $85 per person, depending on which events you attended. While they were all part of the same festival there wasn’t any sort of general pass where you could purchase access to all events at once for a reduced price. It was all one festival, but made up of individual events.

Okanagan Spirits at BC Distilled — Okanagan Spirits

The Festival’s Events

In 2024 the festival took place between April 10th and 13th. Below are details about each of the events at this year’s BC Distilled Festival.

Whisky Tasting

There were two whisky tasting sessions that happened before this year’s headliner event. They took place from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, April 10th and Thursday, April 11th. Both sessions were held at Legacy Liquor, located at 1633 Manitoba Street in Vancouver.

The two sessions were led by author and founder of the Canadian Whisky Awards, Davin de Kergommeaux. Attendees received several samples from local distilleries, as well as a signed book. Some of the featured whiskies are usually unavailable to the public, while some are scheduled to be released during or after the festival (or at least that was the case in previous years). Tickets started at about $60 each.

Trade and Media Tasting

There was another tasting session from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 13th, in 2024. However, it was mainly for people who work in the region’s restaurant, bar, media and hospitality industries. If you fitted into any of those categories, admission was free or by donation. A very limited number of tickets were available to the general public as well, for about $85 each.

The event happened at the Italian Cultural Centre, on the same day as the main event of the festival. The building is located at 3075 Slocan Street in Vancouver.

The Main Festival Event

The main event of BC Distilled was a large tasting session on Saturday, April 13th in 2024. It took place at the Italian Cultural Centre at 3075 Slocan Street in Vancouver. The event began at 6:00 pm and continued until 9:00 pm. Tickets started at around $65.

There were over 30 different distilleries that took part in the festival so there were plenty of spirits to try. There was just one blanket admission price so once you were in then you could partake in as much beverage sampling as you likek!

On top of the drinks, there is also usually a 50/50 draw and a silent auction to take part in. These activities are done in partnership with the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. Representatives from the non-profit organization are at the event most years along with puppies that participants can interact with.