INSITE
Strategy, brand creation & design.
Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers
We came in before the name, the location, and the licence. Here's what we built.
Dillon's Small Batch Distillers is one of Canada's most celebrated craft spirit brands — sold nationally, expanding internationally, and acquired by MarkAnthony Group in 2021. We were there from day one.
Client
Dillon's Small Batch Distillers
2011–2023 (12 years)
Engagement
Beamsville, Ontario, Canada
Location
Brand Strategy — Naming — Visual Identity — Label Design — Packaging — Portfolio Strategy — Hospitality Experience — Digital Strategy
Services
National distribution · New LCBO category creation · Acquired by MarkAnthony Group, 2021
Outcome
They had a dream. The strategy wasn't going to work.
In 2011, Geoff Dillon and his father-in-law Gary Higgins came to Insite with an entrepreneurial idea and a passion for distilling. Geoff wanted to build a spirits business — an alternative to an MBA and a way to follow a genuine calling.
The original plan: launch a price-competitive vodka to sell through the LCBO and capture the back-bar market from legacy brands.
It was a reasonable instinct. But the math and the market were working against them.
The challenges we identified
Nine reasons this was going to be hard
We came in as strategic partners, not order-takers. That meant telling Geoff and Gary what we genuinely saw — including the walls they hadn't hit yet.
The challenges were real:
Established mainstream spirit brands had decades of loyalty and supplier relationships that were nearly impossible to displace without massive marketing investment — investment a startup didn't have
The LCBO took upward of 60% margin on listed bottles, making a budget-priced spirit economically unviable at early sales volumes
Canadian taxation and protectionist regulations — including a mandatory 5,000L still requirement — made the capital cost of entering distilling enormous
The LCBO was resistant to listing new spirit suppliers without a proven track record and a clear, funded marketing strategy
At the time, audiences were celebrating legacy brands, not untried newcomers
Regulatory restrictions on alcohol promotion meant very few accessible channels to reach and trial new audiences
The founding team was small and early in their business operating experience — a distribution and trade-heavy model wasn't the right fit
A business built entirely on low-volume spirit sales wasn't going to service the capital required to start and grow
Visibility for new Canadian spirit brands was genuinely difficult — the category infrastructure didn't support new entrants
We could have adjusted the plan at the edges. Instead, we threw it out and started from a better question.
Our Strategic Approach
We didn't enter the category. We created one.
The insight that changed everything: Canada didn't have a craft distilling category yet.
No one had defined it, built it, or owned it. That was the open door.
Our approach was to carve out that space intentionally — define what "craft"meant in spirits with enough rigour and specificity that Dillon's would be, by definition, synonymous with craft. Any brand that followed would need to genuinely satisfy those standards, or be seen for what it was.
The strategic pillars we built the brand around:
Craft at the core — low, hand-produced volume; transparency of process and ingredients; local and seasonal sourcing; sustainability
Emotion before function — every product would be idea-forward, leading with story and meaning before practical feature claims
A new target audience — craft-minded consumers who cared about authenticity, locality, passion, and engagement; people who didn't yet know they were missing craft in their spirits
Gender inclusion as strategy — we deliberately dropped the male-oriented imagery, vocabulary, and product framing that had long defined the spirits industry, and extended a genuine invitation to female audiences
Mixologist-first go-to-market — instead of competing for the licensee owner's existing supplier relationships, we went directly to bar staff and mixologists, offering an honest craft alternative they could be proud to champion and storytell
Retail circumvention — we strategized a line of bitters that could be placed in food retail, boutique gift stores, and decor shops — bringing the brand to audiences who would never encounter it in a liquor store
Seasonal Spirits as a brand communication — we strategized that not only were there no other distilleries with seasonal spirits made from local ingredients, there was an opportunity to create these unique spirits as a central communication to cocktails and local farmer relationship stories, deeply aligning the brand to craft and authenticity
Portfolio breadth as a brand tool — cocktail syrups, disinfectants, pre-mixed cocktails, seasonal spirits, and RTDs weren't just revenue streams; each one extended the brand's reach to new audiences and created continuous talking points
Experience as infrastructure — an on-site retail and distillery experience designed to be a year-round destination and community hub
The Scope of Work
What we did together
Over 12 years, our work spanned every dimension of the brand:
Business and market fit discovery
Opportunities and emotional value discovery
Brand strategy and positioning
Naming
Product portfolio strategy
Visual identity design
Label program strategy and design — multiple product ranges
Packaging illustration
Brand story and messaging architecture
Hospitality and distillery experience strategy
Brand refresh and repositioning (2023)— readying the brand and packagingfor international expansion
What We Built
A brand world, not just a label
The work wasn't cosmetic. We built an infrastructure:
A brand and brand world with a clearly defined craft space in the Canadian market — one that didn't exist before Dillon's
A gender-neutral identity that was transparent, authentic, human, local, seasonal, and sustainability-minded — connecting immediately with a broadand loyal audience
A revenue infrastructure of complementary products that amplified the brand message while reaching audiences beyond conventional spirit channels
A spirit portfolio strategy that gave the brand continuous launch stories and talking points — across craft gins, 100% Canadian rye, seasonal liqueurs, premium pre-mixed cocktails, and RTDs
An on-site retail and distillery experience that became a year-round destination generating revenue, loyalty, and community
A direct-to-consumer online world of recipes and e-commerce that made buying spirits online feel like a natural extension of the brand experience
A unique spirits club that rewarded the brand's most passionate ambassadors
Clear and repeatable brand guidelines built to grow with the brand across any category or geography
Outcomes & Impact
What the brand achieved
The results speak with specificity:
Women became 50% of the customer base — in a category that had historically made women feel like an afterthought. This was strategy, not accident
Influenced the LCBO to create entirely new shelf categories — Craft Spirits, Seasonal Spirits, and Premium Prepared Cocktails — categories that didn't exist before Dillon's demonstrated there was a market for them
Achieved national distribution with substantially less investment than comparable brands that came before or after
One of the fastest-growing Canadian craft spirit brands in its decade of independent operation
Permanently changed the Canadian distilling and spirits landscape — new distilleries that followed did so in a category Dillon's defined
Recognized internationally — gaining traction in the US and other markets with a clear pathway for continued expansion
Acquired by Mark Anthony Group in 2021 — one of Canada's largest beverage alcohol companies — in the brand's tenth year
Maintained brand focus and consistency across 12 years without a costly rebrand, audience confusion, or significant brand management missteps — proof that a well-built strategic foundation pays dividends long after launch
FAQ
Common Questions
Who built the Dillon's Small Batch Distillers brand?
Insite, a brand strategy and design company based in Burlington, Ontario, built the Dillon's brand from pre-startup in 2011. The relationship spanned 12 years and included the brand's 2023 repositioning for international expansion.
What services did Insite provide for Dillon's?
Insite led brand strategy and positioning, naming, visual identity, label design across multiple product ranges, packaging illustration, product portfolio strategy, hospitality experience design, brand story and messaging architecture, and the 2023 brand refresh.
How did Dillon's become successful in Canada's craft spirits market?
Dillon's succeeded by creating Canada's craft distilling category rather than entering an existing one. Insite strategically defined craft distilling with enough rigour that Dillon's became synonymous with it — building the brand around authenticity, local and seasonal ingredients, transparency, and a genuinely inclusive audience approach.
What made Dillon's different from other Canadian spirit brands?
Dillon's was built from a belief system, not a product brief. Every decision — from ingredient sourcing to packaging to go-to-market strategy — was anchored in craft principles. The brand was intentionally gender-neutral in an industry dominated by male-focused marketing, and it went to mixologists first, building credibility from the inside out.
Did Dillon's Small Batch Distillers get acquired?
Yes. Dillon's was acquired by Mark Anthony Group in 2021, in its tenth year ofoperation.
What is Insite's expertise in the alcohol beverage category?
Insite has been building premium alcohol beverage brands since 1993. The agency specialises in brand strategy, visual identity, label and packaging design, and hospitality experience for craft spirit, wine, and beverage brands across Canada and internationally.
Can Insite help a new craft distillery build its brand from scratch?
Yes. The Dillon's engagement began before the business had a name, a location,or a distilling licence. Insite's process works from the earliest stage of business formation through to full brand expression and market launch.
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