Shelter Point Distillery: Vancouver Island's Farm-Grown Single Malt
Updated: 3 hours ago
Shelter Point sits on the coast of northern Vancouver Island, where the barley is grown, malted, distilled and matured within sight of the ocean.
In this guide
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Shelter Point at a glance
Distillery fact | Verified detail |
|---|---|
Distillery / brand | Shelter Point |
Country and region | British Columbia, Canada |
Owner / operator | Shelter Point Distillery |
Historical background | Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky |
Whisky identity | Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky |
Visitor planning | Check the producer's official site for current tours and operating hours. |
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From farm to distillery
In 2005 Patrick Evans, a third generation farmer from a pioneer family of British Columbia's Comox Valley, bought 380 acres of farmland with oceanfront, streams, wetlands, forest and fields. In 2011 he founded Shelter Point Distillery as a commercial use for barley grown on the farm.
Today the distillery says it is owned by Nelson Investments, another Vancouver Island business.
How the whisky is made
The distillery says it uses Canadian two-row barley grown in British Columbia, slow fermentations and double distillation. Its copper wash and spirit pot stills were made by Forsyths. The mash-lauter and stainless washbacks were made by a local fabricator on Vancouver Island. Its barrel warehouses sit close to the ocean.
Head Distiller James Marinus has farmed on Vancouver Island for over 35 years and learned whisky making from a retired Scottish master distiller. General Manager Stephen Goodridge has worked in the drinks industry for over three decades.
The range
The distillery lists a Classic Single Malt, a Cask Strength expression, Ripple Rock (named after the 1958 Ripple Rock explosion near Campbell River), Smoke Point (aged in barrels smoked with driftwood and native woods), a 12 Year Old, a 10 Year Old Estate Whisky made from barley grown on Shelter Point Farm, and the Evans Family Reserve Coruja Cask Finish.
Recognition
Shelter Point says its 2022 whisky earned a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and that Ripple Rock scored 93 points and an Editor's Choice from Whisky Advocate. In 2023 the Scotch Malt Whisky Society released three Shelter Point bottlings, which the distillery says was a first for a Canadian distillery.
Visiting
The distillery is at 4692 Regent Road, Campbell River, British Columbia. On the day we read the site, the store and tastings were open Monday to Sunday from 12:00pm to 5:30pm and tours ran Wednesday to Sunday from 12:00pm to 5:00pm. Check the official site for current hours.
A family farm distillery
The Nanaimo News Bulletin describes Shelter Point as a family business on 380 acres of oceanfront farmland near Campbell River on Vancouver Island, run by owner Patrick Evans with general manager and son-in-law Jacob Wiebe. Evans turned to value added agriculture after years of dairy farming. Its first whisky was barrelled in 2011.
Output: more than 125,000 litres of spirits a year in 2019, including gin, vodka and a liqueur
Grain: barley grown on the farm in front of the distillery
Vodka: CanadaOne, made from one grain, from one farm, in a 20 plate column still
Stills: six metre high copper stills
Casks: customers can buy a cask, with a minimum of 250 bottles per cask
From experimental farm to distillery site
The Collective Magazines describe the site, about ten minutes south of Campbell River beside the Oyster River, as once the home of UBC's Experimental Farm and later the Evans farm. The same piece says the distillery has risen onto the global stage over about five years through gold awards at the World Whiskies Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and that Shelter Point was the first Canadian distillery to have its whisky bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Montfort, Evans Family releases and the Whisky Club
Montfort is described by the distillery as a whisky where everything except the yeast is sourced within a two kilometre radius of the distillery.
The Evans Family range is a rotating series of limited expressions, with a new release roughly every six to nine months in finishes such as rum, sherry and wine.
The Whisky Club has three releases a year, usually one or two cask strength exclusives and one experimental release, including a run in tequila barrels.
The 8 Continent Series
In July 2026 the Victoria News reported that Shelter Point had been picked to take part in the 8 Continent Series, an international research project in which distilleries around the world cask special edition single malts. The project is a collaboration between Cask World founder Daniel Monk and Brazilian food scientist Dr. Aline Bortoletto's research team at INOBEV. It studies how different climates affect whisky made outside Scotland and Ireland.
Shelter Point supplies a farm to flask single malt made only from barley grown on its own land and water from its own underground aquifer. General manager Stephen Goodridge said it was the first time the distillery had made whisky purely from its own barley. The report says the spirit matures in stages, first in Kentucky bourbon barrels and then in casks that held white oak, wine or sherry. Official site: shelterpoint.ca.
Sources and gaps
Sources: shelterpoint.ca home and About Us pages, read 20 October 2026.
Gaps: no Wikipedia page was found. Still sizes and capacity, ABVs and tour prices were not on the pages read. Slug and cover image to be set by hand.
Further source read on 21 October 2026: Nanaimo News Bulletin feature of 12 August 2019.
Further sources read on 21 October 2026: The Collective Magazines, Strathcona Collective, Fall/Winter 2024; Victoria News, 10 July 2026.
What makes Shelter Point distinctive?
Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky
Shelter Point whisky bottle and expression comparison
Bottle / expression | Age | ABV | Cask maturation / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Shelter Point Classic Single Malt | NAS / release dependent | Check bottle | Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky |
Shelter Point Cask Strength | NAS / release dependent | Check bottle | Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky |
Shelter Point Ripple Rock | NAS / release dependent | Check bottle | Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky |
The table records named or historical expressions. Exact availability, strength and provenance can change; consult the producer for current details.
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Frequently asked questions about Shelter Point
Where is Shelter Point located?
British Columbia, Canada.
Who owns or operates Shelter Point?
Shelter Point Distillery.
What makes Shelter Point distinctive?
Vancouver Island coastal farm-grown whisky.
Which whiskies are documented for Shelter Point?
Shelter Point Classic Single Malt, Shelter Point Cask Strength, Shelter Point Ripple Rock. Availability varies.
Can visitors tour Shelter Point?
Check the producer's current tour and booking information; not all sites are open to visitors.
Sources and editorial notes
The original research and reference links have been retained. Current ownership, prices, operating status and visitor arrangements should be reconfirmed.
Image note: the cover is an illustrative whisky photograph from the Whisky Clan media library, not a photograph of this distillery or its products.
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Photo and source notes
Cover photograph: Shelter Point Distillery real whisky production building on Vancouver Island with barley fields. Source: Beaumont Drinks producer feature. Reuse rights have not been independently confirmed.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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