Willibald Farm Distillery Vodka

Canada’s Vodka Twilight Zone

Television sets glowed across North America when The Twilight Zone premiered in 1959. With this first episode, host Rod Serling began introducing the super-natural, sci-fi and fantastic stories that would change television forever. The Canadian Vodka Act was also introduced that year and a dimension of imagination it was not. The regulations were as conservative as Sterling’s starched shirt. For example, the Act declared vodka must be made without distinctive character.

On June 26, 2019, Canada revised its Vodka Act, and overnight the spirit’s stuffy restraints were loosened. Distilleries that had been making clear spirits with fruit, whey or honey could finally re-label them vodka. Others reacted with new vodkas that celebrated the spirit’s agricultural source. Finally, you could taste the essence of the ingredients and vodka became interesting again. These new vodkas take drinkers on a journey into a wondrous land bounded only by the distiller’s imagination. Distilleries riding this new vodka wave include the Willibald Farm Distillery in Ayr, Ontario.

Willibald Puts Flavour First

“When the pandemic hit, we realized how appealing it was to have more selection,” says distillery co-founder Cam Formica. “What could we create right now to get some more diversity in our lineup? We had skipped over the basics and were making vodka as a base for the gin anyway. Let’s refine it a little bit, filter it and give it special attention after distillation then put it out there because it can stand by itself.”

All of Willibald’s spirits start with one of their whisky mashbills each containing: rye, corn and malted barley. For their aged gin, for example, they begin with whatever they are using to make whisky at the time. As the gin is always blended, its real flavour comes from a thoughtful integration of botanicals. With their vodka, though, they stick to a consistent mashbill.

After distillation, head distiller Nolan Vanderheyden passes the spirit through a water treatment filter he modified for spirits. Then, he proofs the vodka to 40% using water from a prehistoric aquifer that lies 300 feet under the farm. No surface water enters the well. “It’s interesting and very high quality,” says Formica. The distillery purifies the mineral laden water under a UV light before softening it. “It’s a big reason why this vodka is a standout.”

“We always try to put flavour first and are OK with our vodka being flavourful,” says Formica. From the spirit's sumptuous mouthfeel you’d almost think the grains were wrapped in husks of crushed velvet. Its creamy texture supports flavourful degrees of candy corn and caramel with a residual sweetness, making it easy to mix into a drink or sip on ice. It’s another Canadian vodka that upholds flavour as the new norm and not a character confined to The Twilight Zone.

Willibald Vodka ($33.58) is available at the distillery or online.