University drinking culture isn’t exactly refined. Most of the time, you’re getting whatever is cheapest and often consuming it in excess. So how did three friends fresh out of school go on to create one of Ontario’s most exemplary distilleries? We chat to Cameron Formica of Willibald Farm Distillery and Brewery to find out.
“When we finished university, we were looking for something outside of the classic nine to five. We really wanted to do something hands-on that we could physically create,” says Cameron Formica who, in 2017, partnered with brothers Jordan and Nolan Vanderheyden to found Willibald Farm Distillery and Brewery. Willibald is in the small township of Ayr and the three friends had big dreams for what they could build there.
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“When you’re in your 20s, the alcohol industry seems like a very fun opportunity. We were huge whisky and craft beer fans at that point, so the natural interest was there; it was just a matter of ‘how do we distill?’” They focused on making gin (a boundary-pushing brown gin at that) and whisky to start and did a couple of weekend workshops, but everything was mostly self-taught. “It’s really just trial and error,” Formica says. “How many bad samples are you willing to make to get to the good one?”
From the beginning, failure has always been embraced at Willibald instead of feared. In 2018, they made the bold decision to add a farm-to-table restaurant on the property. In 2019, they added a brewery. Formica continues: “Our business has been a point of constant change and has been slowly evolving since. We’ve really tried hard to not be confined to being one thing or to specific standards or historical norms within the alcohol space. Instead of being a distillery-restaurant-brewery, we really look at ourselves as being a flavour company. Wherever that leads us is the mission that we’re on."
Must-try's from Willibald Farm Distillery and Brewery
Willibald Barrel Gin
“Our original barrel gin is aged in new oak... We took new oak casks that add a lot of flavour and punch and we ended up with a product that straddles the line between gin and whisky. People were like ‘I didn’t know gin could be brown!’”
Willibald farm-to-table restaurant
“We saw the restaurant as a cool opportunity to discover what’s local and fresh. We didn’t want to just throw a burger on a bun. Instead, we were like, ‘let’s graze cattle in our front pasture,’ and then we’re sustainably managing the land.”
Willibald craft cocktails
“We are using distilling techniques outside the norm to harness flavour. We have this cool one that utilizes 300 pounds of Niagara peaches with apricots, golden plums and cacao husks to create a beautiful, chocolatey cocktail.”
