History of Distilling in Hamilton

The tradition of crafting fine spirits in Hamilton started 1884 and was re-imagined in 2018.

The Royal Distillery operated in Hamilton from the late 1880’s up to around World War I. On his Beer et seq blog, Gary Gillman does a great job summarizing the history of The Royal Distillery.

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What The Doctor Ordered.

In the 1880s, the Hamilton Distillery was producing Royal Reserve Canadian Rye Whisky

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The Honourable Mayor Charlton

From what we can tell, Benjamin Earnest Charlton – the first mayor of Hamilton elected through a civic vote - helped to establish the Royal Distillery. Mr. Charlton was Mayor of Hamilton in 1867, 1873 and 1874. It is likely that Charlton Street in Hamilton is named after him.

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The distillery in Hamilton was not without controversy. In 1902 the City of Hamilton passed by-laws related to the use and charges for water in the city, specifically raising the rates for railways, breweries and distilleries. The case went to the Supreme Court of Canada and judgment was passed in 1907 that “…the rate for water supplied to any class of consumers must be an equal rate to all members of such class and a by-law providing for a rate on certain manufacturers higher than that to be paid by others was illegal."