About Us
Who We Are
Top Shelf Distillers was founded in March 2014 with the intent of turning the spirits world on its head.
We launched our first products, Top Shelf Vodka and Top Shelf Gin, because consumers deserve a world-class spirit without having to break the bank. Our spirits speak for themselves but Platinum and Double Gold at the International SIP Awards certainly give our flagship spirits some pedigree.
In 2016, on the 100th anniversary of the introduction of Temperance (Canada’s version of prohibition), we filled the first barrels of Lanark Highlands Rideau Whisky. Our hometown of Perth, Ontario has a deep and storied connection to whisky… on both sides of the law. Before the introduction of the Ontario Temperance Act in 1916 - three distilleries operated in town and distributed their whisky from coast to coast. After production of distilled spirits became outlawed, Perth’s whisky pioneers became the original moonshiners - moving their stills out into secret locations, only making their whisky under the cover of darkness.
We are incredibly proud to continue to pen Perth’s whisky story after a 100 year whisky drought in this heritage town.
Over the last decade, we’ve perfected our process. Our flagship bourbon-style Rideau Whisky took home Platinum at the 2024 International SIP Awards.
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, we augmented our production line to include the production of high quality Hand Sanitizer through a crowdfunding campaign. If you visited an IKEA or Metro grocery store in Ontario during that period, you probably used it. We answered that urgent call because that’s who we are - a part of your community.
From 2020 - 2023 we produced hundreds of thousands of litres of hand sanitizer with a large amount donated to organizations serving vulnerable people and communities.
Flash forward to today - swimming against the current has seen Top Shelf become Canada’s fastest growing direct-to-consumer distillery.
- Our focus continues to be on growth. Lanark Highlands Whisky has grown 10x and we have plans to scale Our whisky program an additional 10x over the next 2-5 years.
- We have acquired a new site which will be the home of Whisky Park. This immersive destination will house thousands of Lanark Highlands Whisky barrels on 170 acres that will also serve as a Dark Skies preserve and wilderness viewing area. We can’t wait to see you there!
- Through longstanding partnerships with our Cooperage partners, we are exporting Canadian grown White Oak for milling, seasoning, and coopering. These first-of-their-kind Canadian grown barrels have arrived back at the distillery and were filled with Whisky in January 2026. From acorn to glass, Lanark Highlands Whisky is painstakingly crafted at every stage of the process.
Top Shelf Distillers has come a long way but we are just getting started… we want you to join us in the next chapters of this incredible journey.
Inspired by the incredible backing of our Hand Sanitizer crowdfunding campaign in 2020, we turned to our supporters to fast-track scale of Lanark Highlands Whisky. In 2024 we launched the Pathfinder Barrel Program. If you are interested in investing in a distillery with big ambitions and a proven track record - The Pathfinder Barrel Program is your invitation to shape a whisky region and be part of the next chapter of craft spirits in Ontario.