It might not be long before cocktail lovers are served fresh cocktails in Dixon’s Distilled Spirits.
The craft distillery known to make premium gin, vodka and whisky products recently asked city council to support its application to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for a By the Glass Manufacturer’s Limited Liquor Sales Licence for their brewery on Elmira Road.
The license will allow them to sell cocktails at the distillery site.
“We can now do what breweries can do and have a cocktail. It’ll change the model a bit whereas before we couldn't do that. The only thing we could do was little samples and when I say little, literally not an ounce or shot, like dribbles into a cup,” said JD Dixon, who co-owns the distillery with his wife Vicky Dixon.
Dixon said selling cocktails will change the dynamic of visits from customers.
“This allows us to actually showcase our cocktail and spirit in a cocktail fashion,” said Dixon.
Dixon said venturing into cocktails was a long time coming. He said the distillery would likely double in size once it begins selling cocktails.
He said the pandemic definitely spurred E-commerce for the business by increasing online sales and opening doors for delivery services such as Uber Eats and DoorDash.
Dixon said sales for distillery grew 120 per cent in LCBO stores during the pandemic.
“What we've been told by LCBO is that there are huge supply chain issues going on with importers of spirits so to kind of get us mindfully ready to jump in if they need to fill up the shelves,” said Dixon.
Dixon said the Wicked Raspberry Gin took off in LCBO and is now the number four best selling gin flavour in stores.
“When we launch a new product, we get to actually have a lot of fun. And when it comes to making cocktails with it — because we just don't make spirits for the sake of making spirits —.we want to be able to make a neat cocktail with it as well,” said Dixon.
