It was in May of 2005 that La Distillerie in the Quartier des Spectacles (D1) opened its doors for the first time thanks to the efforts of its two founders, David Poulin and Philippe Haman, their families and friends. The small familial team (brothers and childhood friends) begins the adventure: to introduce quality cocktails in a laid-back pub setting, without pretense, something rather unusual at the time.

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The mason jar becomes our go-to container following a brainstorm between Philippe and his brother Jonathan, because on top of reminding us of grandma’s homemade jam, it makes our life behind the bar much easier: simply mix the cocktail using the lid and serve!

 

After 3 years of building a loyal customer base with many ‘’Hi, I’m Phil, and yourself?’’ and ‘’Taste this mix and let me know what you think’’, our popularity largely surpasses our expectations, we’re ready for the next challenge! P.s. Thank-you to the teams at 3 Brasseurs, Keg Old Port, and Aria for having made D1 your home away from home 🙂

 

In July 2008, the small familial team, now much bigger, opens the second location: La Distillerie Plateau East (D2). Every team member who has been there since 2005 evolves with the company by taking responsibilities linked to their skills (recruitment, training, inventory, repairs). It’s quite the challenge because our second location has 3 times the capacity of D1! Our clients respond to the call: it’s a full house from opening night. What a party!

 

Without thinking, because we have the wind in our sails, we open La Distillerie Promenade Masson in December 2010. From one day to the next, our little bar on Ontario street is now a company employing 70 people! It’s at this point that we realize we’re going to have to structure ourselves to survive this step! 

 

Who are we? What are we looking to do, exactly? Why? How do we contribute to the world around us? The team is ready for its teenage crisis! So we define our values, and we clarify what we want to offer; a home away from home. That’s what we’ve been doing since day one; we seek to break isolation and create communities. That’s what fuels us in this line of work!

 

Inevitably, it all begins with the community at the heart of the company. We define an HR process that ensures recruitment in line with these principles, and therefore a team dynamic that reflects these values. More than 50% of our revenue is invested in our human resources (training, activities, salaries). 

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After a 7-year break from expansion projects, we bring the idea of a home away from home just a little further. Le Bed & Cocktail (link) is founded in 2017 right above La Distillerie Plateau East (D2).

 

 

After all of that, after almost 15 years in operation, we grow older and we change. We evolve and our customers evolve too. Food becomes a necessity more than ever, along with our clients’ desire to spend more quality time with family, so we knock on Marie-Pier Morin’s (a client from 2005 become friend) door, to see if she’ll join the adventure; if she wants to be the chef for our restaurant project in Vieux-Longueuil. In May 2019, we open La Distillerie Vieux-Longueuil on St-Charles street (she said yes!). We take advantage of this opportunity to build an all-dressed production kitchen to make food for our bars.

 

This year, we’re honored to celebrate our 18 years! Yep, we’re finally of legal age! We can’t wait to celebrate with you.

 

Cheers!