Nestled in the heart of Ontario Canada’s Golden Horseshoe region, the eastern edge of Lake Ontario where wine and whisky meet, Dillon’s Distillery stands poised steps away from the picturesque shoreline of Lake Ontario, one of Canada’s five Great Lakes and the headwaters of our proud St. Lawrence River. The river is home to some of the most diverse water wildlife in North America and is the main thoroughfare from the Atlantic Ocean into the Great Lakes Basin, which boasts merchant shipping that imports and exports goods in this part of the world. The St. Lawrence River is home to the 1000 Islands, which is where the famous and delicious 1000 Islands salad dressing was developed.
The origin of 1000 Island Dressing is related to George Boldt, one-time owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York and of the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia. Legend has it that while cruising aboard his yacht amongst the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River, as his steward prepared luncheon, he discovered that some of the ingredients normally used in his dressings were not available. He prepared a dressing using a variety of ingredients which George Boldt found so pleasing that he decided to have it served in his hotels.
Citation: Gananoque.com
The Great Lakes region of Canada for thousands of years was home to millions of people and wildlife who depended on the land for survival. The Haudenosaunee, Ojibway/Chippewa, and Anishinaabe Aboriginal peoples traditional territory is in the Niagara region of Canada and the USA. This territory is covered by the Upper Canada Treaties. The oldest known treaty between Europeans and North American Aboriginal peoples is in the Niagara region.
In 1613, the Dutch and the Haudenosaunee created an agreement known as the Two Row Wampum, with two purple rows surrounded by three white rows. One purple row represents the ship of the Dutch. The other purple row is the Haudenosaunee canoe. Each row is travelling down the river of life side by side, neither attempting to steer the other’s vessel. The three white rows represent three principles to solidify the treaty: friendship and peace between the two people in an agreement that will last forever.
Citation: Indigenous history in Niagara, Niagara Region
You might be familiar with this region of the world due to the UNESCO protected Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, Ontario, Canada where the world famous Niagara Falls is located.
The Niagara region is well known for its world class VQA award winning wines boasting wineries such as Peller Estates, Jackson-Triggs, and Inniskillin Winery. It’s time to introduce the world to this region’s Canadian whiskies. One dram in particular stands out for me as the classical embodiment of a truly Canadian Rye whisky experience. This special Canadian rye is produced at one of the most popular distilleries in Ontario, Dillon’s Distillery located in picturesque Beamsville, Ontario. What makes this Dillon’s dram unique is that it is created from 100% Ontario rye and owing to its exceptional quality and character this dram embodies the true Canadian spirit evoking thoughts and memories of wide open spaces, bright blue spacious sky, an ever present yet subtly strong modesty. If you want to know what Canada feels like you understand trying this dram. Please find below Women’s Whisky World’s exclusive tasting notes for Dillon’s Ontario Rye.
Colour: This exquisite saffron gold dram is the manifestation of a bright summer’s afternoon when the sun is high, the breeze is light and the energy is calling you for a sunset stroll along the sparkling lake shore. It is exactly what I would expect on my picnic table while enjoying a summer day sitting beside a gently flowing river.
Nose: Once again embracing the Canadian spirit, Ontario’s blooming lilac on an early spring morning meets the senses bringing with it memories of the English cottage style gardens planted all over Ontario, which are loved by so many Canadians. Vanilla and caramel marry easily with the gentle perfume of pink Canadian wild roses and a delicate milieu of savory herbs. The rye comes through with such passionate expression it is easy to understand why this whisky holds the Canadian spirit and our nation’s whisky history between your fingertips.
Palate: Immediately inviting, a warm sweetness washes over the palate. The whisky quickly heats to a spicy fiesta, which is characteristic of high rye content Canadian whiskies. The vanilla and caramel deepen opening to a melody of multiple floral notes, roses with a bold essence of double daffodil where brown sugar and oaked chardonnay meet fresh cut grass.** These magnificent top notes are met with an unexpected counterpoint of solvents characteristic of a Tennessee whiskey.
Finish: Somewhat short but oh so sweet leaving the palate longing for more to satiate the primal senses.
General Impressions: Of all the Canadian drams I’ve tried this is absolutely in my top three. I compare the dram to something similar as what you might expect in a light Speyside or Highland Scotch whilst boasting the spicy and warming characteristics of a classic Canadian rye.
**Women’s Whisky World online floral notes catalogue can be found published to my Twitter and Instagram accounts @ChantailleMarie Look for the photographs of flowers.
I had the pleasure of speaking with a representative of Dillon’s Distillery. Please enjoy Women’s Whisky World’s exclusive interview notes of our conversation.
What year did Dillon’s Distillery come into fruition?
The distillery opened to the public on December 9, 2012 but the journey to opening started about two years prior to that.
What inspired you to begin the distillery?
A big inspiration for opening the distillery was Geoff’s father; Peter. He has one of the most impressive and expansive spirits collections and it was something that father and son bonded over. There was also this desire to craft spirits made in Canada from fresh and local ingredients. That was really something that wasn’t happening when we started.
Who is on staff?
We have a team of 20; between the hospitality side and distilling side of the business. We don’t have a huge staff, but everyone is like family.
What does the the typical weekly routine look like at the distillery?
Well we distill 7 days a week so those days start at 6am and end around 10pm. that is three shifts of distillers working away, plus our bottling crew that work five days a week to bottle everything and make sure that our shop is stocked, that orders are heading out to the LCBO or other provinces. We have a 9,000 square foot garden that also has to be managed (that’s almost a full time job itself!). Our Sipping Room is also open daily so we welcome guests to the distillery for tours and tastings. Our calendar is also full of events both here at the distillery and offsite, so there’s the planning, prepping and execution of those that happen regularly too. Every day is so different though, never the same day twice!!!
What products does the distillery create? Which products are dealt with on site (for example, do you ferment and distill on site?
We make everything from grain/grape to glass here. Nothing is brought in. Our collection of spirits is constantly growing and evolving. When we opened in 2012 we had three spirits; our grape-based vodka, an unaged rye (The White Rye) and our Unfiltered Gin 22. Now we have spirits like Rose Gin, Strawberry Gin, Rye Whisky, Absinthe, Peach Schnapps and a whole line of bitters too! We love experimenting and trying new things so there are times when we release super tiny batches of something like our Peach Brandy – there were only 240 bottles!
Could you tell me a bit more about the whiskies you create?
This was really the biggest driving force behind wanting to open a distillery. It was about wanting to make a 100% rye grain whisky; something that really wasn’t being done in Canada at the time. We found an amazing partner in Brant Flour Mills who sources and processes Ontario rye grain in Scotland, ON [a small town in South Eastern Ontario, Canada]. So about an hour from the distillery. We also found an Ontario based cooper to source Canadian oak casks from. We began filling barrels to age for our Rye Whisky in 2013 and it’s a combination of different casks; we use new Canadian oak, new American oak and first-fill bourbon casks. We are ageing for a minimum of 3 years but some are longer. Our first Rye Whisky release was in late 2016. We released a single cask Rye Whisky, that we affectionately refer to as our Rye 1. It was a single new Ontario oak cask that we have bottled at cask strength, with nothing else. No additives; no colour. It is the most authentic and truest expression of making Rye whisky in Ontario. In May of 2017 we started releasing our Three Oaks Rye Whisky. Which is that same 100% Ontario rye grain spirit but it has been aged in those three types of casks and then blended together. It is the perfect every day rye – great neat or on the rocks but also amazing in cocktails. The Three Oaks Rye Whisky is available all year where the Rye 1 is released just once a year, in December.
What sets your whiskies apart from other whiskies on the market?
I think I may have answered this one above but really it comes down to the fact that we are producing our Rye Whisky from grain to glass here and using only Ontario rye grain.
Could you describe in as much detail as possible the scent and flavour profiles of your whiskies, as well as their finish?
The great thing about our Rye Whisky is that it still retains so much of that rye grain character, so there is a nice clean spice character that works perfectly with the stone fruit (think peaches and apricots) and steeped tea flavours present in the finished spirit.
Of all the libations you create which one is your favourite and why?
This probably changes with the seasons or when we release something new but right now, for me (Whitney) the Strawberry Gin is my go-to spirit. Our strawberry gin has this wonderful stewed jam like quality and mixed with that hint of gin from the Dry Gin 7 base, it is the ultimate summer sipper. Perfect just over ice or with some muddle basil and bubbly water.
What keeps customers coming back to Dillon’s Distillery? If someone travels to Ontario why do they have to make Dillon’s Distillery a “must see” on their travel itinerary?
I think what keeps guests coming back are those spirits that we make in ultra-small batches and release only when their ingredients are in season. Something like the Cassis or Peach Brandy are so unique and only available here. We don’t make enough of them to sell outside of the distillery Sipping Room. It’s new releases that have people coming back again and again. For someone who is visiting the region for the first time, we are a nice change from the winery filled day. We offer something different while still staying true to Niagara.
Description: Dillon’s Rye Whisky, Three Oaks, Made From 100% Ontario Canada Rye. Situated beside the picturesque shores of Lake Ontario in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
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