Eau Claire Distillery, based in Diamond Valley, just outside of Calgary has launched what it calls its most elevated whisky to date, introducing Ploughman’s Single Malt as a long-term flagship release as the Alberta craft producer looks to build market share at home and abroad.
The Pedro Ximénez-finished single malt, made with 100% Alberta malted barley, marks a milestone for the distillery, which says it now has sufficient aged inventory to support larger, sustained releases after more than a decade in operation.
Founder and president David Farran said the company, which began in 2013 as Alberta’s first craft distillery, has reached a point where patience in whisky-making is beginning to pay off.
“It is a time when we now have enough whisky inventory, because that’s the exercise of great patience that you have to go through when you’re making whisky, that we can service the market,” Farran said in an interview. “That’s why you’re starting to see some of our bigger releases and our growth in market share and markets.”
Ploughman’s is positioned not as a limited-time offering but as a reference point within the company’s portfolio. Farran described it as the best whisky the distillery has produced to date, with some of the spirit laid down seven to 10 years ago.
“A lot of it was put away between seven and 10 years ago,” he said. “So it’s a long time in terms of maturing in the barrels.”
Initial maturation takes place in ex-bourbon and European oak casks. Select barrels are then finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks sourced from Ximénez-Spínola in Spain. Farran said the distillery has an arrangement that provides access to high-end sherry casks for finishing.
The whisky earned Double Gold in October 2025 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a result Farran described as significant validation in a competitive global environment.
The release is available through the company’s website and in select liquor stores, primarily whisky-focused retailers.
The launch comes as parts of the beverage alcohol industry face softer demand following pandemic-era highs. Farran said broader statistics show the market has moderated, with declines led by beer and wine, while spirits have “kind of held their own.”
He said Eau Claire has continued to grow despite those conditions, attributing the performance in part to its relative newness and positioning.
“There’s a little bit of a flight to quality, and that’s always been what our mantra is,” he said. “Consumers are either going to the bottom or the top. It’s in the middle that it’s a challenge.”
The company produces about 12 brands across ready-to-drink products, gin, vodka and whisky, giving it a diversified portfolio as it navigates shifting consumer demand.
At the same time, Farran acknowledged cost pressures have increased in recent years.
“Costs for sure have gone up. We see it in everything from the price of barrels to the price of barley,” he said. “All of those have affected us and they start to erode your margins.”
He said the distillery has focused on improving internal efficiencies to manage rising input, marketing and distribution costs. While tariffs have not had a significant direct impact on the company, he noted increases in marketing and distribution expenses.
“We’ve worked very hard on being efficient and worked on our internal processes, so we’re managing through,” Farran said.
Eau Claire’s distribution footprint has expanded alongside its growing whisky inventory. The company now sells in 17 U.S. states through traditional distribution channels and in 32 states through online sales. In Canada, it is present in every province west of Ontario but not in Quebec or the Maritimes.
The company has been active in the U.S. market for several years, but Farran said availability of additional aged whisky over the past one to two years has supported further growth south of the border.
“I won’t deny it’s a very challenging market for us right now,” he said. “The sort of acrimony between the two countries has created marketing challenges.”
Still, the company continues to invest in its brand and presentation. For Ploughman’s, that included redesigned packaging featuring a custom bottle with an image of Mount Rae in the base, referencing the headwaters of the Sheep River, where the distillery sources its water, along with a front medallion.
“We’ve done some really fun things in terms of our packaging,” Farran said. “So it took a long time to change and present it in a new form. We’re pretty excited about the whole package, both the liquid and the presentation.”
While the distillery continues to innovate across its portfolio, Farran said whisky will remain central to its growth strategy, with additional unique single-cask releases expected over time.
“We’re always trying to innovate,” he said. “Certainly you’ll see more and more whiskies that come out of our shop that are unique single-cask whiskies and things like that.”
For Farran, the Ploughman’s release reflects both the maturation of the company’s inventory and its broader ambitions in Canadian single malt.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “Ploughman’s represents the culmination of years of learning and refinement.”
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