First tour of Windsor's Hiram Walker in 16 years

For the first time in 16 years, the public will once again be able to tour parts of the Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery in Windsor.

"It's the experience of what Canadian whisky is," said Don Livermore, master blender for Hiram Walker and Sons Ltd. distillery. "The traditions, the history. We want to bring our story to life."

• City of Windsor to toast Hiram Walker on his 200th birthday
• Community ramps up efforts to save Canadian Club Heritage Centre as mayor heads to Chicago

The distillery has teamed up with WindsorEats to organize three tours this spring which have already sold out. People from Manitoba, Toronto, Michigan, Florida and other areas of the United States and Canada have booked the tours.

"The demand has been through the roof," said Adriano Ciotoli, owner of  WindsorEats. "Our test trials of April, May and June sold out in less than five hours."

The tour is called Drinks of Walkerville and will include the distillery's fermenting and distilling building, whisky tasting at the new brand centre on Riverside Drive, a stroll through Walkerville including a stop at the Walkerville Brewery and the Willistead Restaurant.

• Hiram Walker: Inside North America's largest beverage distillery

The first tour will take place April 1. The distillery will gauge the response from the first three tours before scheduling more tours this summer.