The name “Odd Society” may conjure up images of an ultra-secret, membership-only club, but it’s no secret that this East Vancouver, British Columbia, distillery pumps out smooth small-batch creations with flavor profiles any spirit lover can access and appreciate. And Gordon Glanz, founder and distiller at the helm of the operation, knows a thing or two about the craft.
After picking up Old World distilling knowledge during his studies in Scotland, Odd Society became his vehicle for expressing these techniques through New World, BC-sourced ingredients. The result: a robust and ever-evolving lineup of vodka, gin, moonshine, vermouth and liqueurs, including a secret recipe-inspired Crème de Cassis. These are the true stars of the “Odd Society” Glanz has cultivated – not so much odd as it is diverse and deliciously uncanny.
Odd Society is about experimenting while maintaining a nod toward tradition. It’s about coaxing the unique personalities out of each flavor nuance – from the type of wood used for barrel aging to each blend of BC-grown grains and botanicals. Here, Glanz shares a bit about how it’s all done (and yes, sometimes it requires a good Creedence Clearwater Revival jam session).
1) Which of your own current offerings are you digging the most?
We are releasing our second batch of single malt whisky on March 5. It is richer than our first because one of the barrels was previously used to age bourbon and then to age maple syrup. Our whisky picked up some rich maple flavors without becoming too sweet. I am very excited about that. The whisky is already bottled, and I happen to have one open, so I often check in on it at the end of the day.
European liqueurs and spirits have been a big success for us. Last year we won Double-Gold and Best Vermouth at the New York World Wine and Spirits competition for our barrel aged vermouth. It was an accidental experiment, but now we are putting a lot more vermouth in barrels.
2) Any distilling pipe dreams you’re dying to make a reality?
My dream is to produce a Canadian peated single malt that uses local BC peat. Since we are a BC-defined craft distillery, 100 percent of the grain we use must be grown in BC, and there are no locally grown peated malts available. We’ve built a smoker and are experimenting with resmoking malt using different woods. The dream is to ultimately resmoke local malt using local peat.
As for liqueurs, I have been playing around with mushrooms for years and dream of cracking the code for a mushroom liqueur.
3) What non-spirit beverage is in your glass most these days? What is your favorite way to enjoy it and where?
Fermentation definitely runs in our family. Our youngest daughter, Abby, is currently into kombucha. I was never a fan, but lately I’ve been tasting one of her new batches, which includes candied ginger and lemongrass, [that] I find pretty tasty. I’m looking forward to sitting on the back porch in the sun and enjoying some of that on ice.
4) Favorite song, album or artist to jam out to while throwing a few down the hatch?
My family always accuses me of having very limited musical taste. But I still like nothing better when I am alone at the distillery than to put on J.J. Cale or Creedence Clearwater Revival and crank it up, and hope no one is watching me on the security cameras.
