the opening of the distillery
2016
In 2016, Serge, Benoît, and Jean-Philippe started Distillerie du Fjord in premises rented from the town of Saint-David-de-Falardeau.
Launch of Km12 gin
2017
2017 marks the official launch of Km12 gin in the SAQ network.
Inauguration of the new distillery
2018
In 2018, the distillery moved into a brand new building.
enlargement
2022
The distillery is doubling its space.
gin bar opening
2023
In the summer of 2023, Distillerie du Fjord is opening a summer gin bar
Serge tells you the legend of the 5 generations of "gin lovers"
First-generation gin enthusiasts
Joseph Bouchard
According to what we were told, it was our great-grandfather Joseph who introduced us to the joy of drinking good gin. During the last years of his life, my father, Joseph's grandson, would go every week to pick up his bottle of gin from the Liquor Commission, that green bottle with the red heart that still sits in many families' cupboards.
second-generation gin enthusiasts
Aurèle Bouchard
I knew Aurèle, my grandfather, well. He was a "tinkerer," as they say. He operated an icehouse for over a decade, which is where our nickname "Bouchard the Ice" comes from. He invented a saw to cut ice from Lac-Saint-Jean with a 4-foot diameter blade! According to what one of my uncles told us, Aurèle was also a gin enthusiast and supposedly "tinkered" his own still from "vessels and copper pipe scraps." My grandfather would place his cauldron on the stove in the basement, and my grandmother would put "newspaper" on the windows because she wasn't particularly fond of this not-so-"above-board" hobby.
third-generation gin drinkers
Bertrand Bouchard
My father, Bertrand, was also a gin enthusiast. He mostly drank Beefeater and Seven Up, or Tanqueray on special occasions. He was also a "handyman." He repaired "Ski-Doos" and mastered both woodworking and plumbing. "Jack of all trades," as they used to say. I remember when he would start making "moonshine" in the fall. He said it was to have some fun during the holidays. Grain mash in a large wooden barrel, magical bubbles that lasted 10 days, and then, out of nowhere, he'd pull out his famous, slightly modified "stainless steel still." He would set it up on his Coleman stove in the basement, and as a child, I would spy on him through the stair treads. I didn't realize at the time that the pleasant aromas of this illicit elixir were imbuing me and would motivate me to pursue this path with passion, with my sons, but this time completely legally. "Cheers, my Bert!"
Fourth and fifth-generation gin enthusiasts
Serge, Benoît, and Jean-Philippe Bouchard
My sons, Jean-Philippe and Benoît, once told me: "Dad! Let's make some gin." I then told them a story that was still a secret. The idea quickly turned into a concrete project. Jean-Philippe, with his entrepreneurial spirit, Benoît, with his chemist's rigor, and I, Serge, the retired father, with my industrial experience. Yes, we worked hard to establish the first micro-distillery in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean with the goal of producing the best gins using local boreal richness. Our ancestors inspired us to appreciate gin. Today, we are happy to produce it, completely legally, and we share our passion and the unique character of our products with all enthusiasts.
acknowledgements
