60 Before 60 Project: #30 - Tour a Distillery

Do you visit family or friends in other cities? 

Recently we spent time visiting with our relatives in Windsor, Ontario. While there, I mentioned to them my 60 Before 60 Project and they told us about a local distillery tour that might be interesting to take. We have been visiting them for many years but had never actually done this before so we thought it might be interesting to do this together. 

Just a little background. Windsor is located in south western Ontario directly across the river from Detroit, Michigan. Windsor is known as being the “Automotive Capital of Canada” given the city’s initial relationship with the Ford Motor Company. But it also has a checkered past through the time of prohibition.  

I’m not going to get into the history of whiskey production in Windsor (if you’re interested, here’s a good article that does that) as I was more focused on the actual experience of the tour. But it is a fascinating read if you’re into history. 

When we arrived at the J P Weiser experience center, we signed a waiver and were then given protective gear to wear for the tour.  

To start, our guide provided us a history of the distillery and the role it played in the development of the city. We were then taken over to the main production area and walked up three flights of stairs to the top of the fermentation tanks. The heat here was very high given that the mash needs to be at a very high temperature for fermentation. One of the tanks was opened and we got to see a sample of the product being fermented and were even offered the opportunity to taste it (yuck – best to wait for the final product). 

We were then taken past a variety of different stills. Depending on the flavour they want to develop determines which still they use. Once this process is completed, the product is then either put through another still or then transferred to a barrel cask to mature. 

After getting a good understanding the manufacturing process, we were then introduced to a flavour wheel which showed us how the combination of different ingredients could affect the overall taste and flavour of the alcohol being produced. 

Once the production tour was completed, we were taken back to the experience center area for a tasting of the different products. Our guide talked us through each of the five samples as we discussed the different tastes of each of the products. 

I am personally not a whiskey drinker but I found this tour to be both an educating and interesting experience. I gained a greater understanding of the history of the distillery along with an appreciation of the art and science that goes behind whiskey production.  

The major bonus was that we got to share this experience with some of our relatives. Even though they had lived there for years, they had not taken this tour so it was a new activity for all of us. This is now something that we will look back on and able to say we have done and enjoyed – together.  

My 60 Before 60 Lesson: Exploring activities in a different city with relatives is a fun way to create new family memories 

Here are some pictures from our experience; 

Interested in seeing all my 60 Before 60 experiences? Click here.