Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery

Perched on an ocean-view farm along Sooke's wild West Coast Road, Tugwell Creek Honey Farm & Meadery holds a special place in BC's drinks history as Western Canada's first commercial meadery, licensed back in 2003. Founders and lifelong beekeepers Bob Liptrot and Dana LeComte built the operation around their own hives, whose bees gather nectar from local berries and wildflowers within a short radius of the farm. That honey becomes a range of small-batch, hand-crafted meads that have collected international awards over the years. You'll discover traditional honey wines alongside more adventurous styles, from melomels rich with farm-grown berries to spiced metheglins like the ginger-and-spice Solstice and the sweet, floral Wassail Blush, some aged in French oak for added depth. The tasting room is the perfect place to explore them all, with views out over the farm and the ocean beyond. This is more than a tasting stop, though. Tugwell Creek became a designated Economusee in 2014, and its museum-quality exhibit, interactive displays and self-guided audio tour invite you to dive into the fascinating world of bees, honey and mead-making. There's a gift shop too, stocked with the farm's honey and other goods. The setting, about fifty kilometres west of Victoria, is a scenic drive in itself, threading along the coast through Sooke toward some of the island's most beautiful shoreline. Whether you're a curious first-time mead taster or a devoted fan of honey wines, the welcome here is warm and unhurried, and the story behind every bottle runs four decades deep. Come for a taste, stay to learn, and leave with a new appreciation for the humble, hardworking honeybee.