A North Saanich distillery is digging deep into nostalgia, partnering with an iconic neighbour for a fun collectible of its best-selling product.
Best Coast Distillers honours the iconic Hawaii Mars water bomber and its place in West Coast history with a limited release and partial proceeds going toward the BC Aviation Museum for the icon.
When the Hawaii Mars made its final landing in Pat Bay on Aug. 11, 2024, crowds lined the shore to witness history, and Best Coast co-founder Corey Wood was busy working in another role – as an on-the-water volunteer keeping boaters in the bay off the active runway.
“It seems to have a personality of its own out here. It’s part of the family out here,” he said.
An Alberta kid, he discovered the B.C. legends as an adult one summer on Sprout Lake, where they were known to await work for Coulson Aviation.
Hawaii Mars is one of two remaining Martin JRM-3 Mars water bombers. It flew cargo between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands during the Second World War and supported the Korean War with medical transport between Hawaii and California before transitioning to cargo operations. They were sold to a consortium of B.C. timber companies in 1958 and converted into the world’s largest water bombers to fight forest fires, carrying 27,000 litres per drop. Coulson Aviation bought them in 2007, marking the start of its fixed-wing air tanker operations for aerial wildfire support. Coulson retired its Mars water bombers in 2015.
After much fundraising and logistics, Hawaii landed in North Saanich and made an intricate overland trip to the BC Aviation Museum. Now, not a five-minute drive from Best Coast Distillery, the limited release felt like a touching and fitting tribute.
“It’s a B.C. legend. It just made sense,” Wood said.
A portion of the proceeds from the limited release will support the restoration of the bomber. Other WildFire Whisky labels support the Victoria Firefighters Charitable Foundation.
The special label Hawaii Mars WildFire Whisky is available online, at the distillery, and in local shops.
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VIDEO: Hawaii Mars settles into concrete home near Victoria airport
The launch comes on the heels of a celebration, as Best Coast’s Agricole Rum earned accolades at the 2026 Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition.
“Awards like these are more than recognition, they represent validation from experienced judges across the industry and serve as a reminder that small, independent distilleries can push boundaries and create something distinctive,” the distillery says.
Best Coast’s Agricole Rum earned the Product Innovation Award, Excellence in Terroir Award, and the CASC Silver Medal of Distinction.
The innovation award recognizes spirits that overcome significant production or market challenges to create something genuinely new within their category. The Best Coast Agricole Rum is Canada’s first sorghum-based agricole — grown on its Saanich Peninsula estate and distilled on Vancouver Island. Where traditional agricole rum is made from fresh-pressed sugarcane, this product uses estate-grown sorghum cane, making it a true first for Canadian craft distilling.
The Best Coast Cold Brew Coffee Whisky also earned a silver medal.
READ ALSO: 99-year-old North Saanich farm’s Agricole Rum a ‘first in Canada’
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