About the Owners
Russell and Colleen Murphy, the owners of Barrelling Tide Distillery first started their distilling journey while travelling to the United States in 2012 and 2013 and befriending a few distillers who showed them how to run a distillery on a commercial scale. If they were going to learn the ropes of owning a distillery, they also had to learn the dirty work. To gain their right of passage into the distilling world, Russell and Colleen rolled up their sleeves and mopped the floor and scrubbed the tanks of their new friends’ distillery. In addition to this critical first-hand learning experience, they also took educational training at Cornell University in upstate New York.
When they returned home to the Annapolis Valley – an agricultural anchor for Nova Scotia – from their two-year trip learning and growing as distillers, they knew the perfect partnership would be with local farmers.
In 2014, Barrelling Tide Distillery was incorporated, and their 400L pot still and column were ordered, and fabrication started in Germany by Muller. In early 2016, the sea container arrived from Hamburg, Germany, and the distillery was ready to begin operation with their new equipment. On May 16, 2016, Barrelling Tide Distillery opened its doors for the first time!
Russell, a red-seal chef who went from operating kitchens to developing and designing a craft distillery, believes the secret behind Barrelling Tide’s award-winning products are the taste profiles he was able to create thanks to his trained professional palate and the quality of the produce grown by the local farmers.
What Makes Them Unique
“Buy a bottle, support a farm.”
Barrelling Tide Distillery was built on the principle of supporting their neighbouring farmers and producers, with a strong commitment to using only the finest locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible. They handcraft all their award-winning spirits and liqueurs on-site in small batches and believe that quality will forever come before quantity.
The craft distillery is located in the heart of Nova Scotia's beautiful Annapolis Valley. Overlooking a tidal river that leads to the Bay of Fundy, their name was inspired by the rise and fall of the highest tides in the world that they see there twice a day.
Onsite they handle the product from start to finish. They mash, ferment, distil, do fruit pressing, canning, barrel ageing, bottling, and labelling. Typically, Barrelling Tide processes over 10 tonnes of local fruit per year used in almost all their products. They are truly a full-circle operation, and Russell and Colleen say it’s due to the amazing staff who back them up.