Anohka Distillery is the best in the world when it comes to New Make whiskey.
The distillery, located in Parkland County west of Stony Plain, had already won a regional gold for its This is Not Whisky, its “heavily peated” single-malt spirit. But, at the awards gala held Wednesday in London, England, the spirit got the nod as the best in the world.
“I am pretty excited,” said Anohka’s owner and distiller, Gurpreet Ranu, over the phone from England. “We were up against everyone in Scotland, Ireland and Japan. We won. This is madness.”
Whiskies from Germany, the Isle of Man and Wales also entered spirits into the New Make category.
Ranu, a lawyer by trade, opened Anohka’s doors in 2021. Its Tempest and Timeless gins both won medals at the 2023 World Gin Awards. So, this is not the first time Anohka has been globally recognized.
Ranu is aging a whiskey in barrels at the moment. Officially, a spirit must age a minimum of three years to be considered a “true” whiskey. But Ranu is a sworn perfectionist, and said his whiskey release will not go out into the world till he’s satisfied it is ready.
The stills at Anohka were designed by Ranu, and were built in Portugal. As a lawyer, he developed a real passion for whiskey — after all, people in the legal profession do get together for drinks, and enjoy the stuff at professional events. That inspired him to visit Edinburgh, Scotland to learn more about the craft of whiskey making. He then took classes remotely from Heriot-Watt University.
So, this might be the point where we say that the pupil has become the master.
