How interesting that the week after I get back from my first visit to Tennessee – the moonshine mecca of the world – I find a distillery open in my home town! [maybe I’ll let you be the judge of how interesting that is – read on]
The people at Dixon’s Distillery have been building and distilling for over a year and just opened up their doors to help with public consumption this August. I didn’t even know Guelph needed a craft distillery until we got one. Thanks to mayor Cam Guthrie for ending prohibition so early in his term.
As one who dabbles in his own dark magic – converting cheap American vodka into premium gin – I am always keen to chat it up with fellow elixir makers and sample their potions – so i had a great time with co-owner Vicky Dixon, chatting up the finer points of distilling. Finer points like how to put some of that into my glass so that i can taste it.
White lightning, vodka, and gin is what they make from locally sourced grains and water. Finally a healthy use for water. They even age some of the moonshine with an oak spiral in the bottle to give it a bourbon character.
I have the unaged moonshine in my freezer right now because I like drinking it cold. I really like that i can taste the grains through the alcohol – more so than any spirit I’ve had before. Straight up it makes a fine martini.
You can pick up a bottle of your own for under $40 at the distillery. It’s worth a visit and a much shorter drive than to Tennessee.
Pull the cork 