The Lincoln Local
The Lincoln Local is the official podcast of the Town of Lincoln, Ontario, sharing the stories, decisions, and people shaping our growing community in Niagara Region.
Released twice a month, each episode breaks down local government decisions, explores what’s happening at Town Hall, and highlights Lincoln’s businesses . We talk growth, culture, economic development, and the everyday issues that matter to residents—clearly, accessibly, and without the jargon.
Whether you live in Lincoln, work in Niagara, or are curious about how local communities grow and evolve, The Lincoln Local offers an inside look at the conversations shaping our town.
It’s the talk of the town.
Hosted by Sara Wilde and Stephanie Hicks.
Made possible with support from Niagara Region Economic Development, with set design by Second Chance Decor, The Watering Can, and Verhoof Electric.
The Lincoln Local
Distilling Lincoln: Inside Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers
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What makes Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers uniquely Lincoln? In this episode of The Lincoln Local, Sara Wilde and Stephanie Hicks sit down with Anthony D’Aprile, General Manager of Dillon’s, to go behind the bottle and explore the people, process and local ingredients behind one of Lincoln’s best-known craft beverage businesses.
Since opening in 2012, Dillon’s has grown from its small-batch spirits into ready-to-drink cocktails, tastings, tours and hands-on experiences—all while staying connected to the farmers, growers and community around it.
Anthony takes us inside the art and science of distilling, talks about the importance of Niagara ingredients, shares how Dillon’s supported the community during the pandemic, and explains why experiences have become such an important part of the business.
Plus, we find out Anthony’s favourite Dillon’s products, cocktail preferences, and what’s coming up at the distillery—including Teenies & Weenies on September 20, 2026 and Dillon’s Craft Your Own Gin experiences.
🍸 In this episode:
• The art and science of distilling
• Local ingredients and the Niagara connection
• The evolution of Dillon’s
• The importance of experiences and community
• What’s next at Dillon’s
• Anthony’s quick-fire cocktail choices
Learn more: Dillons.ca
Follow: @DillonsDistills
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SpeakUpLincoln.ca/Podcast
Thanks & Credits
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Lincoln Local Meets Dillon's
Stephanie HicksWelcome to the Lincoln Local, a brand new podcast from the town of Lincoln. I'm Stephanie Hicks, the Town's Economic Development Officer and co-host. I focus on growth, opportunity, and community, helping people stay connected to what's happening and what's next.
Sara WildeAnd I'm Sara Wilde, the Town's Creative Design and Digital Media Advisor, behind the camera, behind the design, and now behind the mic as your podcast co-host. Today we are raising a glass to a Lincoln business that has taken the idea of local, quite literally, from locally grown ingredients to spirits created, bottled, and enjoyed right here in Niagara.
Stephanie HicksWe are talking about Dillon's Small Batch Distillers, which has been creating spirits in Lincoln since 2012 and has built its name around small batch production, copper pot stills, local ingredients, and a willingness to experiment with what Canadian spirits can look and taste like.
Sara WildeAnd if you have visited Dillon's lately, you know the business has become about more than what is inside the bottle. There are tastings and tours, cocktail experiences, a sipping society, ready to drink cocktails, which are delicious, and plenty happening behind those doors on Tufford Road.
Stephanie HicksJoining us today is Anthony D'Aprile, General Manager of Dillon's Small Batch Distillers. Anthony, welcome to the Lincoln Local.
Anthony D'AprileThanks for having me. Excited to be here.
Sara WildeExcited to have you. Before we get into the serious questions, we need to establish your credentials with something very important. If someone tells you I don't like gin, do you accept that answer or do you immediately start thinking about which Dillon's gin or cocktail would change their mind?
Anthony D'AprileYou know what? I get that a bit. Gin can be a little bit polarizing. I always think that it's people had a bad experience with a really piny cheap gin. So they think they don't like gin. So I said, but have you tried our gin? It would be my first reaction. But uh if I'm really looking to convert people, I'd probably steer them towards our canned cocktails, the gin cocktails. I've never had somebody turn those down.
Sara WildeSo it's very true. Which one's your favourite?
Anthony D'AprileI like the blackberry.
Sara WildeYeah, that's a good one.
Stephanie HicksIt's I I would like to put my credentials on the record here as well. That I am a gin lover. Many people, many people know that about me. Yeah. I love gin. I love Dillon's. My sisters, we all love gin. We even put your RTD, especially the strawberry rhubarb, in our ninja slushy makers.
Anthony D'AprileSmart, move.
Stephanie HicksLike...
Sara WildeThat's a good tip right there.
Stephanie HicksOh, yeah. Ninja Slushy Maker, those RTDs from Dillon's.
Sara WildeThere was one flavour I just had at Prudommes Suppermarket, and I feel like it's new. So there's a watermelon one, and I can't remember what the other one was.
Stephanie HicksWas it the cranberry apple that tastes like the green jolly rancher?
Sara WildeThat's the one. I had that and it was delicious.
Anthony D'AprileYeah.
Stephanie HicksYeah. Sorry, taste like the green.
Anthony D'AprileYou can't go wrong. Gotta try them all, right?
Sara WildeI did. Yeah. Gotta try them all. Gotta collect them all. Do it.
Stephanie HicksCollect them all. Love that.
Anthony’s Path Into Spirits
Stephanie HicksOkay. So before we get into Dillon's itself, tell us a little bit about you. What brought you into the spirits industry and ultimately to Dillon's?
Anthony D'AprileYeah. Well, I'm what you would call a lifer in the alcohol game, I think. So I've been in the industry for over 20 years. Uh I've worked on all sorts of companies, you know, global, international companies, uh, with some, you know, globally leading brands. Uh, I've worked at the smallest of startups and I've worked at everything in between. I've worked across all categories: beer, wine, cider, spirits, ready to drink cocktails. So, you know, I love it all. I'm my I think my true passion has always been spirits, to be honest with you. I just love the artisanal nature of it. I was always drawn to, you know, how it's made, you know, the artisanal side of spirit making and whatever else. So, you know, when the opportunity came to to partner up with Dillon's, jumped at the chance.
Stephanie HicksI also love that your shirt has little cocktails.
Anthony D'AprileI coordinated that. I'm like, what am I gonna wear today? I'm like, you can't see the logos, but I still have to, yeah. I still gotta be representing the industry.
Stephanie HicksYeah, so you you've been in it for about 20 years. Is that...
Anthony D'AprileYeah 20 years?
Stephanie HicksYeah. How cool is that?
Anthony D'AprileThey say once you come into the alcohol industry, you don't leave, and that's that's pretty, pretty true, I think, so.
Stephanie HicksInteresting. Okay. That's pretty cool.
Sara WildeFor someone who recognizes the Dillon's bottle or has seen the
What Dillon's Makes And Why
Sara Wildecocktails at the LCBO, but does not really know the business behind it. How would you describe Dillon's today?
Anthony D'AprileYou know what? Today, Dillon's is is essentially the same company it's always been. It's about, you know, real people trying to do the best they can and trying to make really high quality spirits that they're proud of. Um, it's as much about you know where we are, the ingredients we use. Uh, we always believe the great ingredients lead to great products, which is which is uh an ethos of what we do. And we try to do things the right way in an honest way. Tell people what we do. We write what what's in the bottle on the bottle. We're very transparent about that as well, too. But at the end of the day, it's it's a it still feels like a small company. People are there, they're excited about what they do every day, and they're passionate about spirits.
Sara WildeAnd how much of that work still happens by hand?
Anthony D'AprileYou know what? A lot.
Sara WildeYeah?
Anthony D'AprileA lot. Uh, I mean, every every bottle, every drink that you have at Dillon's two, it was it was uh, you know, the the love child of our distillers, our packaging hands, to the point where we still write the batch numbers on the bottles by hand off of every bottle that comes off the line. Yeah.
Sara WildeThat's awesome.
Stephanie HicksOh wow. So Dillon's opened its doors in 2012, and the spirits and cocktail industry has changed considerably since then. Uh Dillon's has changed too from its core spirits into bitters, specialty products, cocktail experiences, and ready to drink gin and vodka cocktails. When you do look at the business today, what has been the biggest evolution?
Anthony D'AprileThe biggest evolution. The biggest evolution of Dillon's, I think, was taking the core of what we do, which is the spirits, and get into those canned cocktails. Uh, I think the time was right, the market was moving in that. People wanted something, maybe they didn't have the ingredients to make it themselves. That convenience factor was definitely there as people were trading up from, you know, I'm date myself here, but the traditional coolers of the category that were sugar bombs and whatnot, they were looking for something a little more elevated too.
Sara WildeRev.
Anthony D'AprileYeah, yeah. Well, there you go. I mean, I can name them off again. I've been in the industry a long time. I've worked on some of those brands. So uh, you know, again, there's a time and a place for for I think, you know, most drinks and most occasions and whatnot, too. But I think that would be the biggest evolution. Um, and I think for us, what that did is open up a lot of new eyes and taste buds to what we do at Dillon's.
Stephanie HicksYou said people wanted something a little bit more elevated, um, but maybe not have the ingredients on hand. And I think that goes hand in hand with the society that we're in today of instant gratification too, right? Like people, as much as they want that really flavourful, less sugar, yummy experience drink, they don't want to have to go buy everything and make it. And, you know, it's much easier to just crack that can in a in a setting. And that way you're not missing like the gathering pieces, making drinks, even as a hostess in those situations. So I think it really ticks that instant gratification box as well.
Anthony D'AprileYeah, absolutely. Just chill and serve, right?
Sara WildeChill and serve.
Anthony D'AprileCan't get easier than that.
Sara WildeThere's obviously a lot happening between an
Distilling Explained Without The Jargon
Sara Wildeingredient arriving at Dillon's and somebody pouring that finished product into a cocktail. Can you walk us through that process?
Anthony D'AprileYeah, absolutely. So uh distillation, you know, at its basis is a process of separating and concentrating things that you want and things that you you don't want. So if you've had distilled water, what does that mean? You take out all the impurities of the water and you're left with just the pure water at the end, too. So distillation is very similar that way. So all distillation really starts, you know, quite similar to to beer and wine, is we want to get a uh base ingredient, usually grains or fruits, that you can make a fermentable liquid out of. So again, once you have that fermentation happens, again, you start with something that's much like a beer or a wine. And that is usually about 10%, below 10% ABV alcohol by volume, uh, when you start. So after you have that beer and wine, that base alcohol, that's when distillation really starts. So that's when we introduce that product, that liquid, into our copper pot stills. At that point, it's like if you ever heated a tea kettle, you heat that liquid up, and what happens? You get the the vapour in the and the uh and the gas. So what we're doing is we're heating up that liquid base and alcohol, ethanol, it evaporates uh before water does. So all of that ethanol, all that alcohol that we want, flavours that we want, it turns into a gas form. And then what we do is we capture that gas, that vapour, and we turn it back into a liquid by cooling that down. So what you're left with is really a concentration of the alcohol. The alcohol percentage goes up, but you're also left with a representation, a condensed representation of those flavours that you started with. So if you didn't have it in the liquid that you're fermenting, you're probably not gonna get a lot of it in the distillation after. It's really about condensing and bringing those flavours together. So where you go from there depends on what you're gonna make, what spirit you're gonna make. If you're making uh whiskey and it's grain based, it's probably going to barrel and you'll you'll see later in a few years. If you're making a gin, you'll either macerate or steep botanicals in there or redistill on the botanicals to get those flavours uh in the in that liquid as well.
Sara WildeI have a feeling you did really well in science and chemistry.
Speaker 5Well, again, Tim's not here our distiller. So I did do I did I did study up on that too. So hopefully I didn't butcher it too much. But yeah.
Stephanie HicksSo how long from the start process to shelf?
Anthony D'AprileTo shelf. It it depends on the product. Again, whiskey will be longer just because it's the aging process and whatnot, too. But you know, I it could be a matter of weeks in certain categories from the distillation process too. So uh it really depends on the product you're making, but it can be as quick as a few weeks or as long as a few years if you're making whiskey.
Stephanie HicksRight. So you have to have everything down to like like inventory. I'm just trying to think inventory. It's not as simple as like, oh, just bake up another batch of cookies. We're running low.
Anthony D'AprileThis is the art and science of it. And you know, as we get into the scaling and the growth, you know, we're we're so happy with the growth too. But you really do have to to plan a lot more and really start to get more process in place. You don't really wing it, you know, when you get into spirit making and and and craft beverages.
Stephanie HicksWow.
Sara WildeSo planning it, does seasonality affect what you guys make?
Anthony D'AprileYeah, big time.
Sara WildeYeah.
Anthony D'AprileBig time. I mean, especially at Dillon's, you know, we we uh we've been talking about ingredients and then the local factor as well, too. But yeah, we we're definitely uh subject to what we can get uh here locally from those flavourings, those botanicals. They grow at different times of the year, and you know, then you get into yields and how much of it you can get. So you have a hot product, but you can't get more, you know, strawberries that year or whatever else too. It dictates what you can do. But also to the point, uh there is a science behind distilling where temperature impacts things, you know. So you're always trying to control for temperature and keep consistency in how you're making the products well. So seasonality definitely impacts a lot of what we do at Dillon's.
Stephanie HicksLet's say someone walks into Dillon's for the first time and tells you, I trust you, pick something for me. What are you putting in their hands?
Anthony D'AprileIt's a lot of pressure. That's a lot of pressure. So I usually, if I have some time, I like to probe and ask what they normally drink, what they normally eat to see if I can get some hints about what types of things they like so I can direct them to something that might be in their wheelhouse that they'll actually like. But if we're talking about what I drink the most of and what I'm trying to bring people into, I'd probably go with our dry gin seven. It's uh it's a really great classic London style gin, really versatile, makes great gin martinis, awesome in a gin and tonic. And again, if you're into that kind of thing, you can get into the Negronis and those cocktails as well, too. So it's usually a good, good way to get people in.
Sara WildeAnd if they say, I want the strangest or most unexpected thing you make.
Anthony D'AprileStrangest. So yeah, we don't we don't do a lot...
Sara WildeOr unique. There we go.
Anthony D'AprileUnexpected, use the word unexpected, and I'll say that uh that's probably our melon gin. And uh the reason I use the word unexpected and why it fits is it says there in really big letters melon. But when people try the melon gin, the first reaction is wow, that tastes like I bit into a fresh cantaloupe. And we're like, we told you, it's it says melon on the front. So I think just how reflective that is of the local melons that we use and that product is what would be unexpected about it.
Stephanie HicksOne thing that does stand out about Dillon's is that there's always a very traditional side to the business. Copper stills, classic distilling techniques, rye whiskey, but also a very experimental side. How do you balance these two?
Anthony D'AprileI think I mean the conversation we had about how spirits are made, if you go to like the core of distillation, like that process hasn't changed in centuries. You know, that's that's that traditional way. There's only so many ways you can do it, right? So I think you know, we take that and we try to stay true to artisanal handmade spirits, the way that they've been made for centuries, but we then try to push ourselves into what we could do differently. Is there something we can tweak in the process and what will that do to the flavour? Will it intensify it? Will it bring it down? Ingredients is a big one of that. And again, we're blessed here, you know, in Lincoln and the broader Niagara region that we have access to so many great ingredients that we can play and experiment. Like, think about this. How many places in the world can you go to a farm or fruit stand and then get that in the still like in hours? I'm talking hours. Like it doesn't get fresher than that, too. So that's the uniqueness of what we're able to do here and really draw on the benefits of the area.
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The Real Challenge Of Canned Cocktails
Sara WildeSo ready-to-drink cocktails have become a much larger part of the beverage industry, and Dillon's launched its gin cocktails 2022 before expanding further into vodka cocktails. How did Dillon's approach entering that category while still making sure a canned cocktail felt like a Dillon's product?
Anthony D'AprileI think that was a point in time. I mean, uh they've been a runaway success. I'd I'd say even larger than we could have expected as well, too. But I think point in time, talking about convenience, that refreshment occasion, you know, people are moving away from other categories that are overly sugary or or what have you, too, and uh and they just want something that's well made and convenient. Again, like a lot of people have the interest to do something, but we've seen this, you know, in our in our sipping room. If you say simple syrup, if you say, you know, uh lemon zest, you know, they're like, I can't do that. That's that's that's too much for me. So I think making something that is up to our standards of quality, but also makes it convenient and easy for people to experiment and try new things and bring them into, you know, a spirits category. That's what's made those successful.
Sara WildeIs it harder than people might assume, like creating one?
Anthony D'AprileOh, yeah.
Sara WildeYeah.
Anthony D'AprileUh you could have a great idea. And think about this. If I asked you to make, you know, a meal for your family and friends, you know, you can probably knock out a good meal or whatever else too if I ask you to make 10 of them or a hundred of them, it gets harder and harder the more you make of them as well, too, to get that consistency. But it's also in the execution. So again, you can have a great idea, you could be inspired by a flavour, but to get that balance is what you're really looking for in in these pre-made canned cocktails, can be very tricky. And especially, like I said, the more you grow, the more you make. Now you have to talk about, you know, all the fun operations stuff like supply chain ingredients and production times and all that kind of stuff, too. So it is, it is quite difficult to make a canned cocktail.
Sara WildeHow long does that process take? Usually?
Anthony D'AprileIt could take weeks, you know, from the base product itself, too. Um, when we're getting to that process, it's usually the blending and the canning that takes time too. So then you're getting on schedules for that. So that's usually what takes longer on that can size, too. But making the base alcohol itself, again, we use our vodka, we use our gin in that process too. So that process is weeks, and then the flavour ingredients and the blending can take some more weeks on top of that as well.
Tastings, Tours And The Experience Shift
Stephanie HicksWe talked about you can go into the sipping room, you guys do a lot of different pop-up events um at Dillon's, people can take a tour. Why has creating that experience around the product become so important?
Anthony D'AprileIt's interesting. We talked about how long I've been in the industry. And if I go back to when I started in in the alcohol game, it was a lot about image and it was a lot about, you know, you hear the term premiumization again, very corporate boardroom, but how you're trying to trade people up. What I think is happening now is, you know, economic times and you know what consumers are looking for these days is more that authenticity. So that badge factor that used to exist in spirits a long time ago, it still exists to a degree for sure, but it's not just price point and label anymore. So I think what allows Dillon's and companies like Dillon's to excel is they provide an experience. People are much more selective on how they spend their money, but they will pay for experiences. They will pay for experiences they can have themselves with close friends and family, and that's something that we really try to lean into. And there's no better way to bring people in or to engage them or to create, you know, ambassadors of our brand than to have them come to visit us in Beamsville on Tufford Road to experience it, to do a tour, to do a tasting, and to actually learn about the product. So that experience is vital to what we do.
Stephanie HicksFor sure.
Sara WildeWe spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about what makes Lincoln a great place to live and visit. We also want to talk about what it means to actually operate a business here. Dillon's talks a lot about its connection to the land around it, the fruit, grain, botanicals, farmers and growers that become part of the products you create from a business perspective. What does being located in Lincoln give Dillon's that would be difficult to replicate somewhere else besides our awesome farm stands that you did mention as well?
Anthony D'AprileListen, I'd say where we are is everything. Again, we can we've talked about the distilling process a couple times. And you take that equipment, you take, you know, the base ingredients, you can make spirit anywhere. You really can. It's not really a proprietor there. What makes Dillon's Dillon's is where we're from. And it is the ingredients, it's the access to the ingredients, that fresh, that ethos that we have about that artisanal approach. But the other thing, the people. And if you're from here, if you're from the area too, you really understand the culture, you know, the community that's here too. And that just comes through in all local businesses. Dillon's included. We have an amazing team at Dillon's. They're all passionate about what they do. They're happy to be part of a local business and you know, put their fingerprints on what we do there and stuff too. So again, the ingredients and we've talked about this too, but the people is amazing. The community is so supportive and and they really just get behind everything we've done. So we're really fortunate to be in Lincoln.
Stephanie HicksAnd Lincoln obviously is known for having a lot of wineries. How have you seen Lincoln's business community evolve and where do you see Dillon's fitting into that larger story?
Anthony D'AprileYeah, that's a great question. I mean, I've lived here for the past 10 years. Before that, I was coming as a tourist and I was visiting too. And again, if you go back to, you know, what it was and versus what it is, in my opinion, too, I think growth has been exponential. I think Lincoln in particular has done a great job of embracing craft beverages, you know, and and transcending, not forgetting and not loving the wineries and who put us on the map and whatnot, but embracing the growth of other craft beverages, the food scene, you know, Lincoln, Niagara as a whole is having a bit of a moment. You can't pick up a newspaper or a magazine without somebody ranting and raving about new restaurants that are opening or new experiences that people have had here too. So I think that growth has been tremendous. I think it's been done the right way in a sustainable way. But again, it gets back to the community and how supportive people are. So I think part of that question was how do we see Dillon's fit into that continued evolution? We just want to do our part. We just, you know, we want to be on the team. We want, you know, they say rising tides, right? So uh as more people come and learn about what great things we have to offer at Lincoln, we just want to be part of that conversation with our neighbouring businesses.
Lincoln’s Growth And Pandemic Response
Stephanie HicksSpeaking about the community and being part of it and part of that history, I want to talk about the past a little bit here. Um and we don't like to reflect much on the year 2020 because it was such a huge part of all of our lives.
Anthony D'AprileDidn't we miss that? Isn't it like an elevator where they just don't have that floor? Yeah, it's just not in our yeah.
Stephanie HicksBut but Dillon's really stepped up during that time. Can you tell us a little bit about Dillon's role during the pandemic and how they really not only like helped Lincoln, uh, I know a lot of Lincoln businesses for sure. But um go ahead. I'm gonna flip it to you.
Anthony D'AprileI can talk to it. So again, I'll put it out there as before my time. So my perspective on that is more on viewing that as part of the community as well, too. So, but as the story goes during the pandemic and nobody knew who was gonna be essential and what business were gonna be closed again, scary times, of course, for everybody too. What was happening obviously was, you know, germs sanitizer, you couldn't couldn't get a bottle of Purell. You couldn't do that. So Jeff and the team at that time, they they realized when they broke it down that, hey, wait a second. What we're doing here is we talked about concentrating and high-proof, whatever else, is we can we can make high-proof ethanol that is a disinfectant level, that is a non-potent about, get that up there too, label it. But essentially, we can make sanitizer. So they did. And it was insane, and they couldn't keep up, and they were dropping off to hospitals and you know, police officer stations, and anybody who needed it, if you came to Dillon's and said you needed it, they would be making it for you too. So that's probably again, I wasn't part of the team there too, but the stories go that was some of the busiest times they've ever had because they just couldn't keep up too. But again, embraced uh it was a great story, uh, but it came from a place of how can we help? Again, back to how greater community, and that's what Dillon's been about. Community.
Stephanie HicksIf another entrepreneur were looking at Lincoln and asking, could I build something here? What would you tell them?
Anthony D'AprileAbsolutely. I I would say it's a great place to run a business. Again, we get talked about community a lot too. We've talked about the support from the town. Um, you know, and all my experiences, it's how can we help? What can we do? You know, it's it's it's opening doors, not putting up barriers. And uh, you know, the business community, the neighbours is it's just been great. And yes, seasonality is always a factor when you're predominantly driven by tourism and you know, visitors who might not be local, but that local support, that's what I call the baseline. They're always there. They're here and now they're looking for things to do and they're looking for ways to support. So I think it's it's a great place to open up a business.
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Stephanie HicksWe've talked a lot about specialty liqueurs, ready to drink, using local ingredients. If you had to choose one, I know this is going to be a hard one for you. Oh, I can already sense it. One Dillon's product that tastes the most like Lincoln to you. What would it be and why?
Anthony D'AprileIt'd probably have to go with the peach.
Sara WildeI was gonna say peach.
Anthony D'AprileAnthony D'Aprile
Hey, again, Niagara peaches, it's they're the best. I mean, our strawberries are the best. And you know, all the tender fruits are great. But peaches is what people think about the Niagara region overall, too. And I think that's really a reflection of that product. It comes through, not dissimilar to the melon. That flavor shines, very distinct. Niagara peach is that we use. Um, and people love it. Again, if you look at peach liqueur as a category, it's not the biggest category out there, but it's one of our top sellers. And I think that speaks to that localness that people are looking for. It's like, what can we try? You know, that's the question people get. What's what's new? What's local? I think it's a good reflection of what we do at Dillon's our peach liqueur.
Stephanie HicksI would agree with that.
Sara WildeYeah.
Stephanie HicksAnd every single year, this is what I say about our peaches. They're so good this year. And I don't know if one year beats the other year, but it's like every time you bite one, yeah and it's the juice is running to your elbow, you're like, it's so good this year.
Sara WildeWhen you're not working, then someone else is making the drinks. What are you ordering?
Anthony D'AprileThat's a toss-up. Uh it's either a uh Negroni made with Dillon's dry gin 7. Um, or I would say uh like a really dirty vodka martini. That's sort of like my guilty pleasure. Uh, the dirtier the better on that, too. So a toss-up between those two. I'd say it's sort of occasion-based, how I'm feeling, what I'm eating, who I'm with. But those would be my two cocktails that are usually my my go-to's.
Sara WildeNice.
New Events Plus Gin Blending
Stephanie HicksOkay. So it's time for one of our favourite parts of the podcast, which is called the Talk of the Town Tea.
Anthony D'AprileOkay, okay.
Stephanie HicksWhich of what's happening behind the scenes, what's coming next, um, what we should have on our radar.
Sara WildeAny events.
Anthony D'AprileYeah, we're really excited to announce. We do we do an annual uh gin festival in June. It's called the Juniper, and that's on uh you know Global Gin Day. And that's been a resounding success uh for sure, too. So we're happy to announce for the first time that on September 20th, we're gonna be doing uh teenies and weenies. So this one's all about our vodka. And yeah, I know that's the reaction we wanted. That's the reaction we wanted. I can take zero credit for that. That's Whitney and the brilliant team at Dillon's that that comes up with these great things, but that yeah, but that's the concept. So it's a family-friendly event. There'll be uh martinis, you know, maybe some sausages and some hot dogs and some some some food and some fare. Um kid friendly, you know, we'll have lots of events and games to play too. We'll have some music, we'll have great food, we're part of some great venues.
Sara WildeYou don't have to convince us anymore.
Anthony D'AprileDog friendly too, if the name didn't suggest that too, and bonus points if you have a wiener dog.
Sara WildeSo oh my gosh. I'm going.
Anthony D'AprileSeptember 20th.
Sara WildeUh anything else? Do you want to spill the tea about?
Anthony D'AprileOn the weekends, we're doing uh a blend your own gin, craft your own gin experience too, which is is again, I'm biased, but one of the best experiences I've ever been a part of uh and did as well. Yeah, so that's fun.
Sara WildeFor her? That would be epic.
Anthony D'AprileWe talk about how gin can sometimes...
Stephanie HicksKeep filling my calendar. Go ahead.
Anthony D'AprileOkay, hey. Well, welcome. Well, we're always open. Yeah, come on over. Um yeah, the gin blend experience is a great one. That's one what I would uh definitely recommend to to people who haven't done that before, too. Whether you like gin or not, too. We take you through the process. We show you it's done right on the production floor, usually. So we show you the equipment and we talk to you through how we make that gin at its base, but then we get into the botanical element too. So what we actually do is we start with our base core four um botanicals that we use that actually go into our gin 7, one of our flagship products. But then we also take you through all these other flavouring distillates that we have lavenders and cardamom and all these kind of things too. And you can experiment and try them and figure out what you make so you can make, you know, your own expression of gin and then go home and do it. So again, not to intimidate people because we're there to help. So we ask, what do you normally drink? What do you like? What cocktails do you like? Is it just gin and tonic or whatnot, too? So the last time I did it too, I I made a very uh dominant cucumber profile because I was thinking, hey, it's summertime and I want something that's refreshing and you know, very easy to make with gin, gin and uh gin and tonic too. So I was I was proud of that one too. But I invite everybody to come to our gin blending experiences, craft your own gin. It's it's one it's one of the best, not only I think that Dillon's does, it's one of the best, you know, craft beverage experiences that I've ever been to. I've been to Kentucky, I've been to wineries, you know, in Europe and so that too. It's we're really proud of that one. It's uh it's a it's a good one.
Stephanie HicksI sense a team building experience.
Anthony D'AprileHey, there you go.
Sara WildeSo true.
Stephanie HicksAnthony, someone comes to Dillon's and decides to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring Lincoln.
Sara WildeAfter making their gin.
Stephanie HicksAfter making their gin, having their teeny, their...
Sara WildeWeenie.
Stephanie HicksWeenie, their uh their whole incredible experience, which you could spend quite an afternoon there.
Anthony D'AprileYou stay at Dillon's if you really wanted to.
Sara WildeYeah, you could.
Stephanie HicksYou could, but hypothetically...
Anthony D'AprileSure.
Stephanie HicksThey've they've done a lot at Dillon's. Where else are you sending them in Lincoln?
Anthony D'AprileOh, me personally, geez. Uh I feel like this is gonna be an Oscar speech. I'm gonna leave somebody out because there are just so many good options. Um where am I recommending? I would say check out Fielding, Fielding Winery. Uh, I think they've got a fabulous view. It's a really cozy environment. They got that tent up now in the summertime, and then in the winter they go to the wine domes, which is a really fun experience as well. I think a hidden gem for me would be organized crime. Um smaller one, but they make some phenomenal award-winning wines and again another cozy atmosphere to really experience what Lincoln has to offer on that winery side. If you're looking for a meal, like a traditional sit-down meal, whatever else to you, for like lunch or brunch, go to August. I mean, just drive down King Street, look at the signs, and and go to somewhere you haven't gone before and and ask questions and talk to the people who are who are working there.
Stephanie HicksThat's great.
Quick Fire Drinks And Cocktail Rules
Stephanie HicksThank you.
Sara WildeYeah, it's time for the quick fire round.
Anthony D'AprileOkay.
Sara WildeI'm gonna give you a choice or a very important question.
Anthony D'AprileAll right.
Sara WildeAnd you have to answer with whatever comes to mind first.
Anthony D'AprileOkay.
Sara WildeYeah. No, no planning, nothing. Right. Okay. All right, I'll start. Gin or whiskey?
Anthony D'AprileOh. Are they all gonna be this hard? Whiskey's my whiskey's my default. Whiskey's my default. I've always loved whiskey. That was sort of you know how I fell in love with spirits overall and start to experiment too. Again, I feel bad. I love gin, but I it have to be whiskey.
Sara WildeOkay, that's fair. That's fair, don't worry.
Stephanie HicksSo then maybe this next question answers that.
Anthony D'AprileI'm not gonna I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna survive this, am I?
Stephanie HicksNo, no.
Sara WildeSweet or bitter?
Anthony D'AprileI'm a bitter guy. I'm actually a bitter guy. I like the flavour profile too. Like I love coffee, I love my black coffee, I love my espressos, I love that too. So the bitter component for me is is is where I'm going.
Sara WildeMartini or teeny. I already know you like them extra dirty. So shaken or stirred?
Anthony D'AprileThat's a great question. And I think there's a fallacy here. It's stirred for me a thousand percent of the time. And uh, if you want to get into technical side of the code...
Stephanie HicksI do. I do I really do. I'm like...
Anthony D'AprileYes, Mr. Bond. Shaken too. So uh when you have a spirit forward cocktail, okay, uh, you want the spirits to be the hero and you want to impact the cocktail as least as possible. So when you're making a martini and you're pouring the ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stirring it too, you're getting that dilution, that chilling factor that you want for sure, too, as opposed to a shaker that you're getting, you're over-aerating that cocktail by shaking that. So what happens is it gets cloudy. Uh, you might be breaking off pieces of those ice in the shaker too. So now not only are you getting a cleaner experience, in my personal opinion, uh, with a stirred cocktail too, but you're also getting a smoother mouthfeel, much cleaner on the on the palate because you're not getting those ice shards or you're not getting overdilution from the excessive shaking, too.
Sara WildeThe things we're learning.
Stephanie HicksSo stirred.
Anthony D'AprileStirred, sorry, Mr. Bond.
Sara WildeAll the way all the way stirred.
Anthony D'AprileI would I would highly recommend stirred, yeah.
Stephanie HicksSo then what gets you um more excited if you were creating a brand new spirit or perfecting an old favourite?
Anthony D'AprileIt's also hard. I have no right to create a brand new spirit. So maybe that's the crutch there, too. I am not a distiller. I am not uh I'm not as talented as those folks as well. So I think for me, again, I'm I'm a geek that way too. If if we find a better way to do it, a more efficient way to do it, uh, an easier way to do it without compromising quality or whatnot that makes everybody's life easier.
Sara WildeLocal peach or local strawberry?
Anthony D'AprileKilling me, killing me with these questions. I'm gonna go strawberries. I I honestly do feel that you know Ontario strawberries might not be what people think of as much as peaches, too, but I'll tell you, I've worked with people from Australia, I've worked with people from the US too, and when they have a local strawberry from our area, right, dude, they're like, I cannot believe what's what they're tasting right now, too.
Sara WildeDelicious there.
Anthony D'AprileYeah, but love them both. So...
Sara WildeYeah. One giant ice cube or lots of little ice cubes.
Anthony D'AprileOne giant ice cube.
Sara WildeI knew that was gonna be your answer. The shards, that's why.
Anthony D'AprileOne giant ice cube. And if I want to get really geeky, it's one clear ice cube. Yeah, uh, for sure. Which is...
Sara WildeDistilled water.
Anthony D'AprileAgain, yeah, distilled water...
Stephanie HicksWhich we know how to do now.
Anthony D'AprileThere's a whole art to making clear ice, which again, probably another podcast where you can get into that too. But I would always go one clear ice cube too because um it's more uniform in how uh it chills your drink and it melts slower. So you're you're not getting over that diluted. Because if you've ever done a lot of little ice chips too, I mean sometimes they look good with the little ice cubes too, they're great, but then all of a sudden you've got way more water in your drink than you than than it was designed to have. So one one big ice cube and clear if I can get it.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
Sara WildeDillon's product you would bring to a deserted island.
Anthony D'AprileDeserted island. The rye one is good, but might even be hard to find some ice on the on the deserted island. So uh if it's if it's not the rye, I gotta go back to to the dry gin 7.
Sara WildeSounds like it's a favourite.
Anthony D'AprileYeah.
Sara WildeAnd finally, first word that comes to mind when you hear Lincoln.
Anthony D'AprileCommunity. I it's gotta be community. It's just, it's it's such an amazing place to to live, to work, uh, to be associated with too. It's salt to the earth people and and people who've been around. And uh, you know, if you're local, you know. So uh community.
Where To Follow And Plan A Visit
Stephanie HicksBefore we wrap up, where should listeners go to learn more about Dillon's, see what is happening at the distillery, and plan a visit.
Anthony D'AprileYeah, Dillon's.ca is a great one-stop shop for everything we're doing. You can learn about our products, get cocktail recipes, you can order online, uh, you can book your tours, your your craft your own gin experience. So definitely check out Dillon's.ca. Um, but for you know, announcements and news, follow us on social media at Dillon's Distills. Um, and uh you can get a lot of information there and some some tips on new releases or hints on new releases that we might have coming down the pipeline.
Sara WildeAnthony, thank you for joining us and giving us a look at both sides of Dillon's, the bottles people recognize, and the much bigger business team, and process happening behind them.
Stephanie HicksDillon's is a great example of how the things grown here in Lincoln can become something completely different without losing their connection to where they came from.
Sara WildeAnd we are especially happy that the next chapter of that story is continuing to be written right here in Lincoln.
Stephanie HicksAnthony, thank you for being part of the Lincoln Local.
Anthony D'AprileOh, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Sara WildeThanks for joining us. And for everyone listening, please enjoy responsibly, which is our very professional way of saying, Anthony has now given us several cocktail recommendations that we fully intend to investigate after recording.
Stephanie HicksThanks, Anthony.
Anthony D'AprileThanks.
Stephanie HicksThank you to our sponsors Niagara Region Economic Development, the Watering Can, Second Chance Decor, and Verhoef Electric.
Sara WildeNew episodes drop twice a month and will be shared through the town's social media channels.
Stephanie HicksAnd if there's a topic or local business you'd like us to feature, visit SpeakUpLincoln.ca backslash podcast. Don't miss the next Talk of the Town.
