Dillon’s Distillery

Definitely do make a stop here for the tour on your way to wine country at Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake.
It is great that we have such a passionate small craft brewery here that is churning out some quality products. I am a fan of their unfiltered and rose-​hip gin.
The tour consists of a walk-​around the facility (20 minutes) and then a tasting of all of Dillon’s offerings (30 minutes). I really enjoyed both portions of the tour, our tour guide was knowledgable and even downright funny at times. We even got to taste their now out-​of-​stock small batch absinthe. :-)
The tasting room/​bar also has all their bottles of bitters that they offer and you are free to sample all of them to your heart’s delight. The room itself is delightfully decorated and looks really bright and warm.
I came away from the tasting with a bottle of their limoncello. Yay!

Originally, I was giddy about the pit stop at Dillon’s shortly after they opened. An exciting time in the history of Ontario Liquor to have a hand crafted small batch distiller. It’s a breath of fresh air from all the wineries the area is know for.
With each trip passing by, we continued this ritual of popping into Dillon’s on our way to Niagara-​on-​the-​lake. The space is beautifully uplifting and staff welcoming. The more I tried their offerings, the more I notice their unique characteristics and some tingled my taste buds while others seem to solely belong in mixed drinks. -(3.5) —
The ritual will continue until the most exciting moment of all, when Dillon’s come out with their Canadian Rye Whiskey in early 2016(hopefully). Wow, it has been 3+ years hasn’t it. This Whiskey if I can get a hand on one will boost them from a casual pit stop to an absolute fan on my list.

They make interesting spirits, and the staff are passionate about their craft.
Not always knowledgeably so — I was told that an original old-​fashioned was made with muddled orange and cherry — but that said, the spirits really are unique. The gin and ‘vodka’ have more character than any other gins or vodkas I can think of in Ontario.
and there are lots of fun bitters to play with for mixology geeks.
The tour and tasting are well worth the time.

Amy was AMAZING with our taster session. She was helpful and knowledgeable on their products. We enjoyed our time with her.
We got to try the whiskey, rye, gin 22, pear eau de vie, cherry gin and the rose gin.
Our favourites were the gin 22, rose gin and the cherry gin.
The interior is contemporary rustic, super relaxed and fun!
Of course we couldn’t leave without purchasing a few bottles.

One star is for the exceptional gin and delicious bitters. If I was rating just those it would be 4.5 stars but this review is for the distillery. I brought a friend for his birthday so this was disappointing to us both. The only two staff members there barely served us, and with zero smile, snarky comments, and little help. We were the only customers. He and I have backpacked through severely countries together and been close friends since first year university. Dillons’ broke our perfect history of great service, fun outings, and awesome rapport with strangers worldwide. The service was so bad it even turned us off the alcohol, so we smiled a gracious farewell and high tailed it off to some bad wineries with great staff where we enjoyed the rest of our day. Thanks for nothing ladies. Shame.

Great place to stop by on your way to/​from Niagara. It is right off the QEW. I wanted to check this place out after trying some of their gins at bars in Toronto and also seeing their bitters on sale at Labour of Love (
).
This place can get busy on weekends, but I showed up shortly after they opened (11am) and was able to enjoy tasting their vodka, gin, cherry gin, rose gin, and rye in a quiet, unhurried way. My favourite was the rose gin for sure. Very subtle and delicate flavours. Their regular gin in wonderful too.
They also sell a wide variety of bitters as well as gift box sets. I did buy one bottle of gin as a gift and they wrapped it up really nicely. The boutique also carries other cocktail accessories and books. Design junkies will just love this boutique, because such attention is paid to little details like lighting and typeface.
If you’re lucky enough to swing by during the summer, every Sunday they host «brunch al fresco» — different food trucks stop by each week and they have a cocktail stand too. There’s a nice picnic area and you can enjoy (and sober up) before heading to your next destination.
Overall, a fabulous discovery! The staff are knowledgeable and really friendly. Ask them for tips on what to check out in the area — they are happy to share their favourite spots!

I love dillons gin (the one available at the LCBO). I was so happy we had time to stop in here on our way home from niagara-​on-​the-​lake. Next to KEW Vinyards, this was my favourite stop of the weekend. Bought some rose gin (not available at the LCBO), which is super amazing and the DSB bitters. Gin was $ 25 for the smaller (300ml?) bottle and $ 50 for the 750 ml bottle. Bitters were $ 15 each. They apparently have food trucks/​events every Sunday in the summer. If I had more money I would have bought everything they carry. I’m being serious. This is a great small company with a well priced high end product. Just go. Trust me.

Not the easiest place to find, as shop is set up outside the NOTL region. However, worth the use of your GPS.
Building resemble an aluminum shack and once inside it’s all shabby chic. Staff are happy to answer every stupid question you may have. Wife and I tested the lot, pretty much. I’ve been a fan of the Gin and white rye for quite some time so I looked forward to what they had to offer than wasn’t available in the LCBO.
The Rose Gin is absolutely outstanding. Such a great, clean departure from your average juniper-​gin. Our timing sucked as they weren’t able to sell us any (still being batched), but now we know when we can get it. Limoncello is great as well. Not sickly sweet and it packs a punch. $ 25 for 375ml is hard to fathom, but consumed in small quantities, guest will enjoy it.
The Vodka is potent. Potent! I believe everything is grape-​based rather than grain, so it is smoother. Your mouth will feel numb, however.
Custom bitters will make great additions to cocktails. A bit on the pricey side.
Went there, bought the gin, vodka and the t-​shirt

Dillon’s is a great diversion in the middle of wine country. Here are a few points…
1. They have limited weekend hours during the winter, so check before you set out on a long day trip.
2. They offer a 100% Canadian rye, as well as gin and vodka, which are both grape based, making for a unique taste.
3. The gin has a bit of a grape/​floral flavour to it. It was my favourite of the three, smooth enough to sip by itself.
4. Both the gin and vodka are 19.95 for a small 375ml size and 39.95 for 750ml. They are sold in a nice cloth bag (then in a decorative sack) that are perfect for gift giving.
5. They also offer a selection of approximately 8 bitters including a pear and a lemon. The bitters are in the 12 $ range for a small bottle.
6. Service here is excellent.
While Dillon’s might not convert you from your gin or vodka, and 40 $ is not a big bargain, I am stoked that there is such a quality, Ontario distillery within an easy drive of Hamilton and Toronto. This is an experience well-​worth having.

The friendly staff ask «Do you want a tasting?» the moment I walked in the beautiful space of Dillon’s Distillery… I know I will love this place!
A nice break from the wineries in the area and Dillon’s products are quite unique: Vodka from Niagara’s local grapes, Unfiltered Gin, White Rye from 100% Ontario rye.
I just love the smell of the gin as it has this really fruity smell. Matter of fact, the whole place smell like a spa? with all these botanical herbs!
I can wait to try their first batch of Canadian Rye Whiskey still ageing in 100% Canadian Barrel that going to release in 2015.
If you are visiting in the area, I highly recommend you to drop by and have a tasting at Dillon’s Distillery even if you are not a drinker, it still a lot of fun!

Really great distillery. Staff are really fun.
Go in for a sample and buy a couple of bottles.
My honest review though:
— the vodka is not smooth like it claims to be
— the unaged white rye is precisely that — unaged.
— the gin is spectacular — north american meets european style.
I got a whole bunch of bottles of gin as gifts.

Super fun! Great staff, tasty samplings. Good food trucks right outside you can make a whole fun trip of it. The gin was really great. Definitely a good weekend day-​trip destination.

If you are a Gin drinker this place is for you, but first the décor is incredible, Modern with a touch of old world flair, wood as far as the eye can see while retaining the Sterility of the Modern aesthetic through Walls Floor and Lighting.
Fresh booze lines the walls behind the counter creating intrigue about flavors, luckily they do Tasting. (Caution, Don’t expect classic flavors to bloom brightly, this place uses grapes for their base alcohol so nearly everything shines brightly from that and not grain.)
My group and I did a tasting running through the Vodka, Rye Whiskey and Gin, the Gin is the clear and undoubted winner here, it is clean and smooth while retaining it presence long after it itself has been swallowed due largely to the fact that it is unfiltered, on it you catch the Juniper and Citrus peel immediately and as it finishes you easily catch Lavender and Coriander.
This place is worth the trip, and the price is worthy for a bottle, I think it was 35-​ish for a bottle of Gin, that’s fair if it’s good.

Though you can now get Dillon’s rye at the LCBO (gin is in the process of being approved), their distillery out in Beamsville is a cute little stop, not too far off the highway. Take home a neat apothecary style bottle in one two sizes (750ml and 375ml), wrapped in a linen bag stamped with the Dillon’s logo. Also available is Vodka and their own line of bitters. Looking forward to some of the upcoming bitters that I sampled — ginger among them.
Their white rye is notable because it’s made from 100% Canadian rye without ageing and is something a rye lover would appreciate, as most ryes are not 100% rye.
My favourite, however, is their gin. Batch #1 was more floral, wheras their current batch #2 leans toward more savoury notes. Every sip has a real depth to it and a lovely finish. Great with some tonic and a splash of lime.
Worth a stop if any of this piques your interest. But if you’re a gin fan? Make some time.