A look back at Dominion Express in Winnipeg

I recently went on a tour that included Patent 5 Distillery at 108 Alexander Avenue in the East Exchange area.

The building was constructed starting in 1904 as the stables for Dominion Express Ltd., the CPR's cartage and delivery company. Horses were upstairs with the sleds and wagons downstairs. It was expanded again in 1909, 1913, and 1946. The latter gave it a new entrance on Pacific Avenue.

When the company switched from horses to motorized trucks in 1926, the building became a truck garage until the late 1960s.

You can read more about the history of the building and Dominion Express' Winnipeg history at my Winnipeg Downtown Places post.

Patent 5 Distillery, the first (legal) distillery in Winnipeg since Radinger and Erb in the 1870s - 1880s, set up shop in 2,600 square feet of the building in 2019 and right now produce vodka and gin with whisky on the way.

A neat feature of its taproom is that Patent 5 rescued the bar, stained glass doors, chandeliers, and other features from the St. Regis Hotel, which gives the cozy room the feel that it has been there for a century.

It is definitely worth checking out for the ambience and a unique cocktail !

For more pictures, inside and out.