Highwood Distillers

What Highwood Distillers does

Highwood Distillers is a privately held Canadian spirits producer founded in 1974 as Sunnyvale and rebranded in 1984, currently operating as a subsidiary of Caldera Distilling Inc. following its 2022 acquisition. Headquartered in High River, Alberta, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, the company manufactures and distributes a broad spirits portfolio spanning whisky, vodka, rum, gin, liqueurs, creams, premixes, and ready-to-serve products, including premium aged offerings such as Ninety 20-Year-Old and Century Reserve 21 Year Old, plus White Owl — the world's first clear, oak-matured aged whisky.

The company's production is anchored by proprietary craft techniques including unmilled grain processing, a 90-hour fermentation process, and climate-controlled aging, with grain sourced through a 15+ year partnership with Twin Valley Farms. Sustainable closed-loop packaging is delivered through an exclusive partnership with ecoSPIRITS, whose reusable ecoTOTE containers (up to 150 reuses, replacing 1,000 single-use bottles) are dispensed via Canada's first ecoPLANT installed at Highwood's Alberta facility. The portfolio also includes an exclusive cask investment program operated through Whiskey & Wealth Club.

Revenue is generated through three primary channels: direct-to-consumer and on-premise sales via seven regional sales offices across Canada (Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Manitoba, Vancouver, Toronto, Maritimes), licensed establishment accounts (bars, restaurants, hospitality), and transaction-fee cask sales to private investors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; products are offered in bottle sizes from 50ml to 3L with alcohol percentages ranging from 15% to 95% alc./vol. Distribution is Canada-domestic only, with no global footprint claim in the source data.

Name

Highwood Distillers

Legal name

Caldera Distilling Inc.

Website

https://www.highwood-distillers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distilled Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG)

Keywords

• Craft spirit production
• Canadian whisky manufacturing
• Small batch distillery
• Sustainable spirits packaging
• Aged whisky products

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Spirits Sales: Direct sales of handcrafted spirits including whisky, vodka, rum, gin, liqueurs, creams, premixes, and ready-to-serve products through multiple bottle sizes and alcohol percentages
2. Cask Investment Program: Whiskey & Wealth Club partnership offering private investors opportunity to purchase whisky casks for holding, selling, or bottling under personal brands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Highwood Distillers produces and distributes a broad portfolio of handcrafted Canadian spirits — including whisky, vodka, rum, gin, liqueurs, creams, premixes, and ready-to-serve cocktails — manufactured at its distillery in High River, Alberta using locally sourced grains, Rocky Mountain water, unmilled-grain distillation, and extended 90-hour fermentation. The company sells its products directly to consumers through its website and regional sales offices, to licensed on-premise establishments, and offers a cask whisky investment program through the Whiskey & Wealth Club partnership.

Product overview

Highwood Distillers is a family-owned Canadian spirits company offering a diverse portfolio of handcrafted spirits including whisky, vodka, rum, gin, and liqueurs. The core product lines include: Whisky offerings spanning aged Canadian whiskies (Ninety 20 Year Old, Ninety 5 Year Old, Centennial, White Owl, Hundred Volt, Liberator, Highwood Canadian Rye, True North Rye, Potters Special Old, Wild Cinnamon, Century Reserve 21 Year), flavored whisky variants (Centennial Dark Chocolate, White Owl Spiced/Caramel/Coconut/Ginger Lime, Sweet Sippin' Maple); Vodka products including Foothills Gluten Free, Cruxx, PriSTINA, White Lightning, Potter's Premium, Highwood Pure Canadian, Marushka, Liberator, and True North; Rum selections (Momento Amber, Highwood, Potter's Superior White, Potter's Dark Navy, Potter's Spiced, White Sands); Gin brands (Empire, Sahara Dry, Potter's London Dry, 1830 Sahara Fine, Liberator); Liqueurs and cream liqueurs; Ready-to-serve shooters (Bullets) and premix cocktails (Paralyzer, Bellini, Long Island Iced Tea, Margarita). The company operates an ecoSPIRITS sustainable packaging partnership and Whiskey & Wealth Club cask investment program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• White Owl: World's first clear, aged whisky - oak-matured white whisky with mild whisky aromas of rye and light oak
• Centennial
• Ninety 20 Year Old
• Potter's
• Pristina Vodka
• Liberator
• Empire Gin
• Foothills Gluten-Free Vodka
• Century Reserve 21 Year Old
• Graffiti
• Abstract
• True North
• Céili's

Products and services

• Liberator Whisky Special 5-year-old craft batch whisky distilled entirely by hand with no automation, including hand-applied labels, honoring the WWII RCAF base in High River.
• Ninety 20 Year Old Whisky Premium aged Canadian whisky distilled from corn grains, aged at least 20 years in charred oak bourbon barrels with an additional 6-month sherry barrel finish. Awarded 'All-Corn Whisky of the Year' at the 2023 Canadian Whisky Awards.
• Ninety 5 Year Old Whisky Corn-based Canadian whisky aged for 5 years in charred oak bourbon barrels with wood spice, dusty rye, light butterscotch, and corn syrup notes at 45% alcohol.
• Centennial 10 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky Small-batch wheat whisky aged in Kentucky bourbon oak barrels, created to celebrate the Western Stock Growers Association's 100th anniversary; smooth, subtle flavour with toasted notes.
• Centennial Rye Whisky Dark Chocolate Flavoured wheat whisky combining rich cocoa notes with Centennial's vanilla and caramel flavours, designed to appeal to non-whisky drinkers.
• White Owl Whisky World's first fully oak-matured white whisky, retaining Canadian whisky flavours with the cocktail-mixability of a white spirit. Winner of the Innovation of the Year Award from CanadianWhisky.org.
• White Owl Spiced Whisky Award-winning White Owl base blended with natural vanilla, butterscotch, ginger, and cloves for a smoother, longer finish.
• White Owl Whisky Caramel Clear White Owl whisky with creamy toffee and soft caramel notes, complemented by oak and woody whisky characters.
• White Owl Whisky Coconut Clear White Owl whisky infused with natural coconut flavours for cocktail versatility and a Canadian-inspired tropical taste.
• White Owl Ginger Lime Whisky Clear White Owl whisky combined with spicy ginger and zesty lime flavours for a smooth, refreshing finish.
• Hundred Volt Rye Whisky High-proof overproof rye whisky at 50% alcohol featuring light butterscotch, mint, and licorice notes.
• Highwood Canadian Rye Whisky Prairie rye and wheat whisky aged a minimum of 5 years in charred oak barrels with no additives, showcasing traditional Canadian whisky flavour.
• True North Canadian Rye Whisky Western prairie wheat and grains whisky aged a minimum of 4 years in charred oak barrels before blending and packaging.
• Potters Special Old Canadian Rye Whisky Traditional Canadian whisky awarded 'best economy Canadian Whisky' by The RumHowler, featuring clean spicy rye with light oak and vanilla.
• Wild Cinnamon Whisky Bold Canadian whisky blended with aromatic cinnamon at 36% alcohol.
• Century Reserve 21 Year Old Canadian Rye Whisky Premium single-grain, small-batch corn whisky aged 21 years in charred American bourbon oak barrels with orange peel, toffee, roasted almonds, and baking spice notes.
• Sweet Sippin' Maple Whisky 22% whisky liqueur blending Canadian whisky with Quebec maple syrup, no additives or preservatives, in a maple-leaf shaped bottle.
• Foothills Gluten Free Vodka Rare 10-times distilled vodka from select Alberta corn, wheat-free and gluten-free. Awarded 'Judges Selection' at the 2023 Alberta Beverage Awards with a score of 90.
• Cruxx Ultra-high proof 95% alcohol odourless, flavourless wheat spirit designed as a base for homemade liqueurs and liquid creations.

Quantifiable outcome

• ecoTOTE replaces 1,000 single-use glass bottles per container lifecycle
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ecoSPIRITScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Groundbreaking partnership to pioneer sustainable practices in the spirits industry. Introduced ecoTOTE containers - a low-waste, low-carbon packaging system with reusable 4.5-litre glass casings. Each ecoTOTE replaces standard six-bottle cases. ecoSPIRITS' closed-loop system significantly reduces packaging waste. Installed Canada's first ecoPLANT at Highwood's Alberta facility serving Western Canada.
• Whiskey & Wealth ClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive partnership making cask whisky sales accessible to private investors. Offers opportunity to purchase whisky casks for holding, selling, or bottling under personal brand. Guaranteed insurance, secure storage, and complete ownership rights. Exclusive access to award-winning 90 Twenty Year Old new-make casks.
• Twin Valley FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily-run farm partnership for over 15 years providing locally sourced grains for spirits production. Central to Highwood's circular agricultural ethos. Spent mash from distillation is returned as nutrient-rich feed for cattle, completing the sustainable cycle.
• Caldera Distilling Inc.coreOthersParent company that acquired Highwood Distillers in 2022. Highwood Distillers remains privately owned under the Caldera family.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bridgeland Distillers: Calgary-based Alberta craft distillery producing whisky, vodka, gin, and liqueurs. Directly comparable to Highwood as a regional craft spirits producer competing for the same Alberta on-premise and retail accounts with similar product breadth.
• Eau Claire Distillery: Turner Valley, Alberta craft distillery producing premium spirits including gin, vodka, rye whisky, and bourbon-style whisky. Directly comparable to Highwood as an Alberta-based craft producer with a similar premium positioning and product mix.
• Shelter Point Distillery: British Columbia single-malt whisky and craft spirits producer. Comparable to Highwood as a Canadian craft distillery competing in the premium Canadian whisky category with award recognition and direct-to-consumer tasting room distribution.
• Glenora Distillery: Nova Scotia-based Canadian single malt whisky distillery and inn operator. Comparable to Highwood as a craft Canadian whisky producer combining production with on-premise tourism/tasting experiences and aged-stock premium positioning.
• Odd Society Spirits: Vancouver, BC craft distillery producing whisky, gin, vodka, and liqueurs with a similar small-batch, locally sourced ethos. Comparable to Highwood as a Western Canadian craft peer competing for the same regional on-premise listings.
• Wayward Distillation House: Surrey, BC craft distillery producing spirits including whisky, vodka, gin and liqueurs. Comparable to Highwood as a Canadian craft producer with a diversified spirits portfolio and on-premise/wholesale distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Forty Creek Distillery: Grimsby, Ontario premium Canadian whisky producer now owned by Campari Group. Comparable to Highwood as a Canadian whisky incumbent operating at much larger scale across national distribution, representing the competitive benchmark Highwood's aged whisky lineup is benchmarked against.
• Crown Royal: Diageo-owned flagship Canadian whisky brand. Comparable to Highwood as a Canadian whisky producer, but at vastly greater scale and distribution; sets the national pricing and shelf-positioning standard against which craft producers like Highwood compete.
• Canadian Club: Beam Suntory-owned heritage Canadian whisky brand. Comparable to Highwood as a long-established Canadian whisky incumbent with broad on-premise and retail penetration, representing the legacy competitive set in the Canadian whisky category.
• Wiser's: Pernod Ricard-owned Canadian whisky brand. Comparable to Highwood as a Canadian whisky incumbent with national distribution and aged-stock heritage, competing in the same on-premise and retail channels as Highwood's premium rye and aged whisky SKUs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highwooddistill
• Facebookfacebook.com/HighwoodDistillers
• Instagraminstagram.com/highwooddistill/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highwood Distillers