I count myself fortunate in that my adventures into craft distilling have allowed me to meet some amazing people from around the world. Over 2 years ago a gentleman from Thompson, Manitoba showed up at one of the Distillery Workshops. He was fixated on the traditional method of harvesting nectar from the upper branches of coconut trees and turning that nectar into a distilled alcohol. Time has a funny way of connecting the dots as it were. Last week I had a call from this gentleman and he wanted to know if he could stop by and visit me. He came bearing some treats – 3 bottles in fact.

Finally I was to have a chance to taste this coconut liquor he had talked about 2 years ago. He even showed me some video clips from his recent trip to the rural jungle areas outside Manila in the Philippines. The clips showed people scurrying up tall trees with a pail strapped to their back. Once atop the tree, they would empty smaller vessels full of nectar into the one on their back. The filled container would then be lowered down to the ground via a long rope. The collected nectar would be allowed to ferment naturally before it was distilled. All three bottles had different organoleptic qualities. By far and away the best one was the one at left in the photo. The middle one, made by a local farmer on a crude still in the rural farming area was a close second. To the best of my understanding, the fermented nectar is simply double pot distilled and then proofed down to 42%. Believe me – I could drink this stuff as my daily dram. I am now looking for a craft distillery to participate in a possible business venture that would see 1X pot distilled nectar imported into Canada to be re-distilled, proofed and bottled for sale to the Philippine ex-pat community across the country. I would even go so far as to say a credible Gin could be made from this coconut liquor. Hopefully in early 2020 I have a chance to visit the rural area near Manila and spend some time with the local farmers and artisan distillers.