Ironworks Distillery retains charm of former blacksmith shop

I was drawn to Nova Scotia and especially the town of Lunenburg in part because of the historic beauty of the area. When I visited Ironworks Distillery with the Nova Scotia travel writers, I was impressed by the way owners Pierre Guevremont and Lynne MacKay preserved the integrity of the blacksmith shop they chose to locate their distillery in.

The distillery is located in a 3rd generation blacksmith shop belonging to Thomas Walters that opened in 1893. It was a marine blacksmith where Walters crafted anchors and chains, fairleads and ferrules, clevises and gaffs, windlasses and fiddleys – anything remotely nautical that could be maneuvered onto an anvil and hammered into shape.

The distillers use local products mostly from the Annapolis Valley to create their small batches of vodka, rum, blueberry liqueur, cranberry liqueur, apple brandy, and Eaux de Vie which literally translated “water of life,” another name for fruit brandy.

Before becoming distillers Pierre had a stock photography business and Lynne, was a costume designer on film projects and publishing a small magazine. It is fascinating how they combined their artistic talents to create a unique product in a historic building located in a town that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Log onto http://ironworksdistillery.com for more information.