Producers of craft spirits with the flavours of the Laurentian

Back in November 2020 – only five months after going into business – the Sainte-Agathe distillery called La Manufacture began to offer its Panacée gin and Narval vodka on the SAQ shelves. This entrepreneurial efficiency was propelled by the shared passion of Laurent Baillard and his father Yves. What follows arises from a meeting with two men who care about taste, quality, and a local, circular economy.

A start-up coaching program offered by the MRC des Laurentides (the regional county municipality of the Laurentides), called La Manufacture, was the inception of this distillery of the same name located in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts. It produces high-end crafted spirits. Ground on-site, the wheat and corn – both products of Mirabel – create the base from which the alcohol results. This effort to create their own eau-de-vie from grain to bottle allows them to display, with pride, the Origines Québec logo.

“We weren’t content with simply adding flavours and doing the filtration and bottling. We do 100 per cent of the production stages,” says Laurent, who estimates that only about 10 per cent of Quebec distilleries produce their own alcohol.

“Until 10 years ago, there were simply no craft distilleries in Quebec,” he explains. “I started distilling during those years, because at the SAQ I just couldn’t find the fine, crafted products whose taste evoked the Québec terroir.”

The work of craftsmen

Once the distillation is complete, the remaining grain mash goes to happy dairy cows in the Laurentians. The macerated herbs are also recovered to make steak spice. For the Panacée gin, after 48 hours of maceration using juniper and coriander, lime zest is added to the alcohol in the finishing still.

“You can’t find lime zest on the market,” Yves explains. “Laurent gets limes at Bourassa and carefully removes the zest to avoid any bitterness. So as not to waste anything, I squeeze the limes to make a simple syrup we call Rose Cordial in which you’ll find rosewater, pink peppercorns, cherries, hibiscus, gooseberries and coriander.”

It’s worth knowing that this alcohol-free syrup, which goes very well with Panacée gin, can also enhance desserts such as ice creams and sherbets, as well as various cocktails.

Produced with passion

While the circular economy is central to La Manufacture’s business model, it’s not the only element. The idea is to highlight local resources. Koï gin, with its flavours of citronella, juniper and organic ginger from the Aux p’tits oignons farm, is particularly enticing.

And this delicious gin, which has just been added to La Manufacture’s offering on the SAQ shelves, is an excellent replacement for sake, with sushi.

“My father makes his owned smoked meat and we’ve always liked to develop our own recipes,” Laurent emphasizes. “It’s part of the spirit of the distillery. When I began distilling, I was particularly interested in boreal spices and I wanted to drink gins which didn’t exist.

My first product was a ginger concoction.” But what’s key, whether you’re talking cuisine or distilling, is the quality of the ingredients. It all comes back to that,” Laurent states firmly.

“Gin is a flavoured vodka.” (Yves Ballard)

Blueberries, pink and green peppercorns, Szechuan pepper, dune pepper, sweet-fern, lemon peel, kaffir lime leaves and lime zest make up the recipe of the henceforth famous Panacée gin.

A version of this gin aged in oak casks as well as a cider eau-de-vie called “Ceci n’est pas un calva” (tr., This is not a calva) are also available online and at La Manufacture. As for the Narval vodka, it’s said to have a butterscotch aftertaste.

To come

This spring, we look forward to tasting Équinox, an eau-de- vie made from apples and maple syrup. Acérum, a maple eau-de-vie, is also on the point of enriching the craft distillery’s offering. Drop in and visit Laurent and Yves; they’re located at 195 rue Brissette, unit 26, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.

distillerielamanufacture.com

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