A long-term and unique distillery project has made Hawkesbury its home. The Artist in Residence (AiR) Distillerie utilizes local suppliers and ingredients to make artisanal alcoholic beverages within Eastern Ontario’s backyard.
Founder and President Pierre Mantha states that his products are produced with local grains and underground spring water to create the best-tasting consumables made with copper pot stills in the region. He started AiR Disillerie in 2016 with a passion for pursuing evolution in the craft industry.
“I like to create and build. I saw the opportunity to create a distillery. It’s an open book for me that’s never-ending.”
AiR Distillerie operates locally to create a variety of alcoholic beverages, including gins, vodkas, rums, liqueurs, creams, whiskies, and ready-to-drink options. AiR Distillerie products can be found in local LCBO stores for purchase.
Mantha alluded the Hawkesbury location will, within ten years, also include a store, tasting centre, an in-house restaurant and lounge, and offer tasting tours for spirit aficionados.
“I knew coming in that you couldn’t just be small. You got to be kind of big, or you die. If you’re small and doing something like this, you aren’t going to survive in this business. Distilleries have a five-year window, after that, 70 per cent fail or slow down,” he said, “it’s a financial thing; price point is very important.”
Currently, AiR Distillerie operates two distilleries, the first in Gatineau and the other on Tupper Avenue in Hawkesbury. A third distillery is in the works for Erie, Pennsylvania, as Mantha seeks to expand his business into the United States.
Emphasizing the locality of the distillery in Ontario, Mantha explained, “We’re doing whisky, so local farmers with corn, rye, and barley are important. Everything’s got to be local, that’s my strategy.”
Mantha also ensures that his distilleries have LED lights and that any byproducts from his beverage creations are returned to regional farmers to ensure continued environmental sustainability.
“Each time we do a mash, I always keep the old corn and give it back to the local farmers for free. I give it back to the animals, namely cows.”
One of Mantha’s successes has been the Smoked Maple Whisky, which was released approximately a month ago and is likely to sell out by January. Some unique products to keep an eye out for in the new year are his Blackberry Vodka, with an expected release in April, and his Coffee Whisky in October.
“I’m really happy that the local community is supporting me. I thought it was going to be tough because Ottawa is tough. I’m really proud and want to thank everyone for their support,” Mantha concluded.
