52 min
59 - Bryce Parsons The Explore84 Podcast
-
- Self-Improvement
This week’s guest on the podcast is Bryce Parsons, the Director of Distilling for Last Best. We talk about Bryce’s unexpected career transition from Nursing to Distilling, the long road to making a great whisky, as well as Last Best’s ambitious project of releasing 52 craft gins in a single year.
Bryce’s previous career in nursing was a result of what he refers to as his equivalent of the “family farm.” His entire childhood his mother was a nurse and after moving to Vancouver Island his mother opened a nursing home. Bryce followed in these footsteps and obtained his nursing degree in Edmonton before moving back to the Island to work at the nursing home. However he would later feel the need for a change, which started with a google search - “how to become a distiller”
At the time the options ahead of him were a school in Michigan and another in Scotland, the Heriot-Watt University. One weekend Bryce and a friend headed down to Portland to see the Director of Heriot-Watt’s brewing & distilling program give a talk, who he had the opportunity to meet and speak with, and he was encouraged to submit his application for the Brewing & Distilling Master’s program. Bryce would complete their 1 year Masters program plus an additional 6 months of research projects before returning briefly to Vancouver Island and then heading out to Alberta with his wife.
Since coming to Alberta Bryce has joined the team at Bear Hill, and is now the Director of Distilling for Last Best. We learn a bit about their in-development whisky program and the enormous amount of time that goes into creating these spirits. Despite the 3 year minimum age for whisky in Canada he explains that a high quality whisky often takes much longer, and Last Best’s Distilling division is still in the process of creating the whiskys they’ll be proud to release. In the meantime they’ve created an incredibly well received gin program, which culminated in the release of 52 unique craft gins in just one year.
—
Let’s Meet For A Beer: website | facebook
Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram
Bryce Parsons - Last Best Distilling: website | twitter | instagram | facebook
This week’s guest on the podcast is Bryce Parsons, the Director of Distilling for Last Best. We talk about Bryce’s unexpected career transition from Nursing to Distilling, the long road to making a great whisky, as well as Last Best’s ambitious project of releasing 52 craft gins in a single year.
Bryce’s previous career in nursing was a result of what he refers to as his equivalent of the “family farm.” His entire childhood his mother was a nurse and after moving to Vancouver Island his mother opened a nursing home. Bryce followed in these footsteps and obtained his nursing degree in Edmonton before moving back to the Island to work at the nursing home. However he would later feel the need for a change, which started with a google search - “how to become a distiller”
At the time the options ahead of him were a school in Michigan and another in Scotland, the Heriot-Watt University. One weekend Bryce and a friend headed down to Portland to see the Director of Heriot-Watt’s brewing & distilling program give a talk, who he had the opportunity to meet and speak with, and he was encouraged to submit his application for the Brewing & Distilling Master’s program. Bryce would complete their 1 year Masters program plus an additional 6 months of research projects before returning briefly to Vancouver Island and then heading out to Alberta with his wife.
Since coming to Alberta Bryce has joined the team at Bear Hill, and is now the Director of Distilling for Last Best. We learn a bit about their in-development whisky program and the enormous amount of time that goes into creating these spirits. Despite the 3 year minimum age for whisky in Canada he explains that a high quality whisky often takes much longer, and Last Best’s Distilling division is still in the process of creating the whiskys they’ll be proud to release. In the meantime they’ve created an incredibly well received gin program, which culminated in the release of 52 unique craft gins in just one year.
—
Let’s Meet For A Beer: website | facebook
Alberta Beer Festivals: website | twitter | instagram
Bryce Parsons - Last Best Distilling: website | twitter | instagram | facebook
52 min