Copperpenny's smoky gin tastes like BC's wild coast
North Shore distillery's Ember Smoked Gin captures juniper and campfire in a bottle that's won gold at international spirits competitions.
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Copperpenny Distilling Co.'s Ember Smoked Gin smells like the Pacific Rim distilled — wild juniper berries, West Coast wheat, and the ghost of a campfire. Straw yellow instead of clear, it sits somewhere between a forest floor and a sleeping bag that's been sitting next to a fire.
The gin pulls its spirit from the misty-forest-meets-fire-and-sea aesthetic that draws people to BC. "Crafted on the western shores of Canada, this transcendent gin draws its spirit from the Pacific Rim—where misty forests meet fire and sea," reads the distillery's description. "A smoky, elemental expression of place—bold and unmistakably wild."
The juniper berries sit at the deliciously herbal forefront, joined by syrupy pine and a soft kiss of under-the-stars wood smoke. It's a reminder that while summer campfires are now banned across much of B.C., there's something transporting about a gin that smells like one.
The 11 botanicals beyond the juniper and wheat remain a secret — though you can find out by making the trek to the North Shore tasting room and asking the alchemists behind it. Distillery co-owner Jennifer Kom-Tong, who has a background in the film industry, created a space that's like an Art Deco version of The Great Gatsby: one of the coolest and classiest tasting rooms in the city.
Ember Smoked Gin has been piling up awards. It won gold at the United Kingdom's World Gin Awards and The Spirits Business Global Gin Masters awards in England in 2025. Let it sit in the glass for a couple of minutes and watch it open up, with the juniper and smoke in a two-way tie for first place.
The next time you're at a party and someone tells you they've just relocated here from England, feel free to ask if they're in the business of judging spirits.