Farm to Table showcases to the public the journey of agricultural produce to the dining table.
For Lars Hirch, it gives him his journey from farmer to distiller.
Representing his Pivot Spirits at a farm tour of Molar Farms in Barnwell, Hirch said it was one fateful trip to Scotland that would change his life forever.
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“A friend of my wife’s was getting married in Scotland, and it was during haying time. So my wife (said), ‘Well, it’s too bad we can’t go.’ Wait a minute, it’s a chance to get a couple of things off my bucket list: golfing at St. Andrews and going to a Scotch distillery. So I made the time and we went there, and I didn’t realize how much that was going to change the course of my life,” said Hirch.
Once there, Hirch learned all you need to make scotch was barley, yeast and water. It made the man from Rolling Hills, Alta., face a crossroads in his life. Hirch had farmed since 1990, but his passion for it was waning. It looked like there was no succession plan in place with his children showing little interest to continue operating the family farm.
“I thought that might make life more fun and maybe more lucrative than feeding barley to cows,” said Hirch, who shortly after discovered a five-day distilling course in Kelowna, B.C.
A little 10-litre copper still in his garage and loads of experimenting-in-the-process enjoyment turned into a more expensive computerized still out of Poland, with the ability to make all different types of spirits. Hirch started crafting recipes and planning his distillery along with the help of his wife and kids. Construction began in 2018 and was up and running in March 2020. He can laugh about it now, but looking back on what the market was in those pre COVID-ridden days for farm land compared to what it is now, it does make him reflect.
“I sold some land to buy the distillery so that I didn’t have another 25 years of financial stress. Unfortunately, land prices have doubled since I sold the land. It was a real test of my passion for what I was doing,” added Hirch with a chuckle.
Hirch still farms on a much smaller scale today, which serves as an homage to his farming heritage. His liquor business is named Pivot Spirits after growing his crops under the pivot irrigation for which southern Alberta is known.
“There are very few farmers using their own grains to make spirits, especially whisky, which is my interest. I grow five different grains on my farm and am able to offer six unique whiskies that people can experience in what these grains taste like,” said Hirch.
“It’s kind of a terroir to southern Alberta irrigation, and that is a real cool journey for whisky.”
Until his whisky is ready for sale in the maturation process, Pivot Spirits also makes vodka, gin and liqueurs, using local ingredients and products from his rural neighbours.
“It’s really important to me to highlight agriculture. That’s why events like that Farm to Table event with the sugar beet growers is really rewarding for me. I’m mingling with my neighbours and adding value to the products we grow, and connecting people right back to the farm,” said Hirch.
The liquor business shows just how much value-added the industry can bring to agriculture. Starting back in 1990, Hirch had a cow-calf operation and grew grain forages and oil seeds. Now, Hirch has scaled down to 300 acres but can still unlock huge amounts of potential if sales break right with his distillery.
“I’m not distilling around the clock, because I don’t have the sales volume to justify it yet. My equipment is capable of handling about 60 acres worth of crop in a year. A typical year when I grow barley or wheat, that crop is worth ballpark, ($50,000) or $60,000. If I turn it into spirits whisky, it’s worth upwards of $2 million,” said Hirch.
“But as I discovered, the most difficult part of this industry is sales and marketing. If I could sell everything that I could produce, it would be a very lucrative business.”
Hirch’s lifetime in agriculture gave him a good background for jumping in, figuring things out as you go and not being afraid of the challenges. He had a good distilling mentor in Steven Cage of Cage and Sons out of Lethbridge. So good in fact, Pivot Spirits has won numerous awards over the years. Most recently, his rye whisky won Best in Class at the Alberta Food and Beverage Awards in Calgary in June.
“Everybody’s palette is different. But I have found your typical everyday spirit drinker finds my spirits smooth. I think the quality of my equipment might play a role in it,” said Hirch.
“But also, I make really heavy cuts during the final distillation process. I take the heart of the run and I distill to a higher alcohol content than your typical bourbon or scotch whisky, and that results in a lighter flavour.
“As I keep going, I haven’t lost the passion, especially for the whisky. I really enjoy connecting people back to the farm level.”
You can check out Pivot Spirits’ full selection at pivotspirits.com. Further inquiries can be emailed to [email protected] or by calling the distillery at 403-488-1266 or Lars at 403-793-3105. Pivot Spirits can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
