Malcolm Bucholtz resides part of the year in the small town of Mossbank, Saskatchewan, located 40 minutes south of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan – a locale steeped in the rich history of the Prohibition era. 

Don’t let this website URL lead you astray. Common sense will tell you that there is no real actual University that exists, as some bureaucrats have insinuated. Prohibition University is nothing more than a promotional marketing name for consulting and training services on offer.  

Malcolm is originally from a small town near Ottawa, Ontario. After graduating from Queen’s University in 1986 he embarked on a career in the steel industry as a Metallurgical Engineer. With his first paycheque in hand, he went to a local home brewing store and bought Charlie Papazian’s Book, The Joy of Home Brewing, along with all the tools and toys necessary for making beer at home. Although not realized at the time, this purchase would prove to have lasting implications.

There have been several career adventures since 1986 ranging from Engineer to Commodity Trading Advisor to CEO of a junior mining firm, but one thing has remained steadfast – Malcolm’s love of the science of brewing and distilling.

In 2013, as the age of 50 was looming on the horizon, Malcolm began looking for a new adventure. He investigated the possibility of returning to school at Heriot Watt University in Scotland to pursue the M.Sc. program in Brewing and Distilling. What he found instead was the U.K. Institute for Brewing and Distilling (IBD) and its many highly rated exam curricula. After many long discussions with the good people at IBD, the decision was made to enroll in the General Distilling Certificate program. But, Heriot Watt would not be forgotten about.

In November 2014 after 9 months of intense study, Malcolm successfully passed his Distillation exam. In his travels during 2014, Malcolm made a connection with a craft distillery in Kelowna, BC. This quickly led to the design of a 5-day Distillery Workshop where the curriculum is modeled on the IBD course syllabus.  At the height of the mania surrounding these Workshops, thoughts of attending Heriot Watt University still lingered in Malcolm’s mind. In September 2017, Malcolm was accepted into their M.Sc. degree program in Brewing & Distilling. The knowledge gained from this rigorous program was prolific and the scientific content of the Workshops reflected that. Malcolm completed his M.Sc. thesis project in early 2020 oblivious to the fact that the world was about to be shocked by the COVID situation. Post-COVID, the host distillery in Kelowna moved to a new location after a dispute with its landlord. Structural issues at the new location meant the 14-plate column still could not be installed. This combined with a lack of proper classroom space made conducting Workshops very challenging. During the entire time these Workshops were offered, just over 600 people (from around the world) paid to attend. 

Fast forward to 2025, the craft distilling mania has subsided with many start-ups having failed. However,  Malcolm still offers his knowledge to craft distillers seeking advice with business plans, financial projections, new recipe development, and start-up efforts.