Take a trip along Ontario's Craft Gin Trail to discover the spirit's unique flavours: Jasmine Mangalaseril

While global gin distillers are often top of mind when it comes to negronis, gin fizzes, and gin and tonics, craft distilleries have been making interesting and creative juniper-laced flavours that highlight local and Canadian ingredients since 2009.

To help us find flavours and styles created in southern Ontario, the Craft Gin Trail invites us on a self-guided tour to explore them.

Building awareness is a challenge for new businesses, particularly ones in highly regulated spaces like the liquor industry .

Getting their gins into consumer glasses and minds, particularly for local craft distilleries that were relatively new on the scene, was severely hampered by COVID lockdowns.

"The opportunity within bars and restaurants for people to try spirits is extremely valuable to this industry," explained Cooper Sleeman, sales and marketing director at John Sleeman & Sons Spring Mill Distillery in Guelph.

"It's far easier for a potential customer to walk into a bar and try a $15 cocktail that has your gin in it, than go to the LCBO or your distillery store and pay $40, $45, $50 for a whole bottle."

Marty Van Vliet, CEO and co-owner of Elora Distilling Company, approached other local makers with the idea of a trail, to help gin lovers and the gin-curious discover their products.

"I want them to taste my stuff, and I also want them to taste Junction 56 or Dixon's in Guelph," said Van Vliet. "I want them to taste all the great craft things that are happening. Because what they're doing is different than what I'm doing. And you know, we're all doing different things and it's quite exciting."

A sampling of local gins

Each product's flavour is unique. From juniper-forward to jammy, to herbal, to savoury, part of the Craft Gin Trail's experience is the individual distillery's personality.

Silver Fox Distillery, Arthur

There's more than a whoosh of whimsy at Mark and Lisa Townsend's distillery. Lifelong learners and an infinite curiosity fuel the flavours that go into their gin line up.

"When you get into the world of gins, there's such a wide variety of flavours," said Mark Townsend. "Do you want it fruity? Do you want it sweet? You want it sour? Bitter?"

Elora Distilling Company, Elora

Here, you'll find gins highlighting what's grown and foraged within Ontario.

"A lot of the product development was informed by different things, but mostly the farms that we work with," said Paul Lachowich, director of operations.

"Sometimes one of the farmers would walk in with a box of raspberries [on] Friday at 2:00 p.m., and she'd be like, 'Oh these are ready!' And I'd have to do something with these now."

John Sleeman & Sons Spring Mill Distillery, Guelph

Housed in the former Allan's Mill & Distillery, where renovations uncovered Prohibition-era holding tanks, Spring Mill was named after the Sleeman family's original 1836 distillery.

Their flavours come from Canadian grains and a still by the renowned still-making Forsyth family.

"The stills have a massive impact on [flavour]," said Sleeman. "They're assembled using traditional methods, and that's what also makes them quite unique. It's a sledgehammer, and two gentlemen, and a bag of corn and they shape everything­­."

Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery, Ayr

Co-owners Nolan and Jordan van der Heyden created this distillery on their family farm. Willibald is their grandfather's middle name.

Marilyn, their still, is named after co-owner Cam Formica's grandmother. Here, they're known for their barrel gin.

"You take [the owners'] love for whiskey, combine it with gin, and barrel gin was the outcome," said Formica. "So, it's gin, aged in brand new American oak for three to five months. And it gives this nice blend between a gin and a whiskey,".

The other Craft Gin Trail members

• Dixon's Distilled Spirits, Guelph
• Junction 56 Distillery, Stratford
• Mann's Distillery, Stratford

CraftGinTrail.com has more information about the trail and participating distilleries.