ELORA — Ontario’s Craft Gin Festival, now in its third year, offers gin lovers a chance to taste more than 30 unique hand-crafted gins from some of the most distinctive distilleries in Southwestern Ontario.
The Festival — will feature seven member distilleries of the Craft Gin Trail — Junction 56, Elora Distilling Co, John Sleeman & Sons Spring Mill Distillery, Dixons’ Distilled Spirits Inc., Silver Fox Distillery, and Willibald Farm Distillery — along with Last Straw Distillery from Vaughan, Ont., and Paradigm Spirits Co. from London.
”Craft distilling has been happening in Ontario since 2009 but has really come into its own since 2015. There are now some serious producers creating gin in a way that the big multi nations can’t compete with. Small batch, hand crafted with local Ontario grain.”
Set for Saturday, June 7, on the grounds of the Elora Centre for the Arts the festival celebrates the craft distillers in the province who are making amazing products from the juniper-based spirit. It will bring together 10 Ontario craft gin distillers in an event that will include live music, food and special events. Each of the distilleries will be showcasing their unique take on the popular spirit with cocktails.
This year, the festival will feature a speaker on the history of gin. Accommodation packages can be booked at nearby accommodations to turn your day trip into a weekend. The ticketed event will also include a Martini Olympiad, featuring Olympic-inspired competitions centered around the martini and its ingredients.
“The Craft distilleries of Ontario are gathering local ingredients and unusual exotic foreign botanicals and using them to creating a diverse offering of Gins. This is exciting because Gin lovers will be able to taste some small batch products that are only available from these vendors. Gins with ingredients such as wild foraged sumac or spruce tips and gins infused with exotic ingredients like Earl Gray Tea. It will be a great day to explore what’s on offer”
The Ontario Craft Gin Festival takes place Saturday, June 7th, from noon to 6 p.m. at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Tickets are available online.
