Free Spirit: Dillon's Small Batch Distillers On-Island For Nantucket Wine Festival

There’s a spit of land in Southern Ontario affectionately known to those who live there as the “banana belt.” It’s the warmest spot in Canada (though it’s still pretty cold). It’s also the spot where Geoff Dillon started his small-batch distillery in 2012, knowing he could locally source the fruits he used for gin and vodka cocktails.

Thirteen years later, Dillon has taken his company — called Dillon’s — to 19 states on the East Coast, catching a ride on the craft cocktail wave to Nantucket. This weekend, he’ll be taking part in the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival, participating in a so-called Nantucket takeover, where he will be showcasing his craft cocktails and distilled spirits at the 21 Broad Hotel.

“We’re certainly ingredient focused,” Dillon said ahead of his events on Nantucket. “The reason we're based in Niagara is because we can grow things like peaches, pears and apples for our products. It’s all centered on the ingredients. It sounds obvious but you realize the better the ingredients, the better the product.”

For Dillon, craft distilling was an acquired taste. He initially wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a professor of biochemistry. He started distilling while he was in school, and quickly found a knack for it.

“I fell in love with distilling, and I realized it was possible to make this a career,” Dillon said. “Craft distilling was just starting up. It was something I couldn't pull away from. The canned cocktail world has been taking a lot of the market share of beer. We’re in a wave right now where people are interested in the cocktail space. When you put it in a can, it’s really approachable, even more than making something at home.”

Several years into starting the business, Dillon received phone calls from restaurants and bars in Toronto that were interested in carrying his gin and vodka. At the same time, Dillon started working on whiskey with Canadian rye. More recently, he’s launched canned cocktails: a cold brew espresso martini; a white cranberry cosmopolitan; a strawberry, rhubarb, and lime gin cocktail; and a watermelon, lime, and mint vodka cocktail.

“Being on Nantucket feels like us — we’re Canadian, and we’re an elevated brand. The East Coast feels like us,” he said. “I love what I’m doing right now. It’s my job to somehow come out to Nantucket and share my story, and keep doing that across the East Coast.”

For more information on Dillon’s upcoming events on Nantucket, visit nantucketwinefestival.com.