Jaime Polmateer
Craig Peters
In its five years of operation Maverick Distillery has been seeing fast and steady success, already receiving top awards for its vodka at spirit competitions and expanding its exports to countries like Columbia, Australia and Japan.
Their main product is TAG vodka. TAG is a quadruple distilled, five times filtered vodka made from Ontario sweet corn.
“Corn does make a better vodka. It imparts a little bit of sweetness within,” said Craig Peters, CVO (chief-vodka-officer) at Maverick Distillery. “With any spirit, whether you make it from honey or apples, a little bit of the base comes through and sweet corn does impart that little bit of sweetness. It makes a nice silky textured vodka.”
In 2011 TAG took the gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition
In 2011 TAG took the gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and last month they won two silver medals for their new maple vodka and honey ginger flavours. Though the new flavors aren’t available at the LCBO yet, they’re expected to be on the shelf by fall.
Peters, who used to be in marketing and advertising, started the company because he felt Canada needed new quality vodka, something he says hasn’t been on the market for 15 to 20 years.
“I saw an opportunity. Vodka itself is the number one selling spirit, it’s very popular,” he said. “And just as an entrepreneur, I assessed the opportunity and worked out a business plan, decided to go through the channels to get the licenses and learn how to distill alcohol and build a brand.”
Maverick tries to keep its operation environmentally friendly by using lightweight recycled glass and an energy efficient distillation process. They use “continuous distillation” as opposed to “pot distillation” which Peters says is more expensive from an equipment standpoint but uses close to 50 per cent less energy than the alternative.
“We really try to be as green as possible, we think we’re perhaps the greenest vodka you’ll find on the market.”
Maverick makes sure all the corn used in its operation is non-GMO and locally sourced so they can help other local businesses. They also support Oakville organizations like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, The Oakville Trafalgar Hospital and Ladies Out Laughing.
“We raise money for local charities. We sponsor the Oakville Jazz and Midnight Madness,” said Peters. “So essentially every major event in Oakville we try to be a part of. “
