At the heart of Guelph, Ontario, beside the steady flow of the Speed River, stands Spring Mill Distillery — a place where Canadian whisky is shaped by history, family, and patience. Founded by John Sleeman and his sons, Cooper and Quinn, Spring Mill is the latest chapter in a story intertwined with Canadian brewing and distilling for nearly two centuries — and now, with the centuries-old traditions of Sherry soleras in Spain.
The Sleeman legacy in Canada begins in the early 1800s, when John H. Sleeman emigrated from Cornwall, England, settling in Upper Canada in 1834. Two years later, he founded the Stamford Spring Brewery in St. David's, eventually relocating operations to Guelph and helping establish one of the region's earliest brewing institutions. Through the mid-19th century, the family built a reputation for quality and innovation, operating multiple sites and refining their craft as the industry evolved.
Like many historic producers, the Sleeman story wasn't without interruption. Prohibition brought operations to a halt in 1933, pausing what had become a defining family trade. "We got caught bootlegging beer to Al Capone," John W. Sleeman once remarked with a cheeky grin. But the knowledge, recipes, and ethos never disappeared — they were passed down quietly, waiting for the right moment to re-emerge.
That moment came decades later. In the 1980s, John W. Sleeman, great-great-grandson of the original founder, inherited handwritten recipes and family lore from his aunt. In 1988, he revived the family name with the launch of Sleeman Breweries, honouring more than 150 years of heritage. The company grew to become Canada's third-largest brewer before its acquisition by Sapporo in 2006, with John continuing as chairman.
Yet for the Sleemans, this marked the beginning of a new chapter. In the early 2000s, a more personal vision began to take shape. John's fascination with whisky and a desire to build something lasting with his sons led the family back to distilling. Rather than extending the existing brand, they chose to begin again, building Spring Mill Distillery from the ground up on a historic milling site tied to their ancestors. It was a return to small-scale craft, patience, and hands-on production — values that made collaboration with like-minded partners feel like a natural next step.
It was through this shared respect for tradition and craftsmanship that Solera Cask first connected with John. At the time, Solera Cask founders Jose Manuel and Igor Manuel Aldomar were residing in Toronto and running Ontario's first Spanish wine club, of which John was a member. What began as a conversation about wine quickly revealed a deeper alignment: two family businesses, shaped by heritage, united by a belief that time, quality, and respect for process matter above all else.
After John graciously gave Jose Manuel and Igor a tour of the distillery in December 2022, the discussion turned to sourcing sherry casks for future releases. In the years that followed, Jose Manuel and Igor relocated to Jerez de la Frontera — the home of sherry — and Solera Cask took shape as a business. The casks sourced in those early conversations, before the company officially launched in 2026, have since borne fruit. At the 2026 Canadian Whisky Awards, two John Sleeman & Sons sherry-finished whiskies, both aged in Solera Casks, earned gold.
The first of the two gold medallists, the Sherry Finished Canadian Single Malt, is a study in patience, proportion, and how the combination of casks can elevate malt whisky. After five years maturing in once-used bourbon barrels, the whisky was finished separately in both Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Solera Casks before being blended for bottling. It's a process that demands careful judgement at every stage — Cooper Sleeman described the first batch as something of a happy accident, the whisky having been finished longer than intended. It was Master Distiller Doan Bellman who found the resolution, blending in additional single malt to restore the balance. These are exactly the kinds of lessons that only experimentation can teach — a reminder that even when working with centuries-old traditions, finishing a whisky often requires the freedom to test, adjust, and find the right answer through the process itself.
Another gold medal winner, the Pedro Ximénez Finished 100% Rye Whisky was a limited release and the first cask strength whisky from John Sleeman and Sons. Made from 100% Canadian rye distilled at Spring Mill, aged in virgin American oak before spending its finishing period in Solera-seasoned PX casks from Jerez. Pedro Ximénez is the richest of the sherries, almost syrup-like in consistency — and unlike the dry sherries, the process of sun-drying the Pedro Ximénez grapes, effectively turning them into raisins, produces a sweet wine. Finishing in these casks adds decadent dessert-like flavours of dark honey, molasses, dried fig, raisin and dark chocolate, perfect for a limited release such as this. The result is a gold medal winning whisky layered with spice, dried fruit, and richness — a dialogue between Canadian grain and Andalusian tradition.
At Spring Mill Distillery, the respect for tradition and the fact that good things take time is palpable. From handcrafted copper stills, and a Canadian Fir washback, to an in-house cooperage led by Quinn Sleeman, and the thoughtful brand stewardship guided by Cooper, every step reflects an understanding that wood, time, and care shape flavour as much as grain and yeast. It's a philosophy we share at Solera Cask, where centuries-old Sherry practices inform how barrels are selected, prepared, and seasoned — not as commodities, but as instruments of flavour and storytelling.
When Canadian whisky meets Sherry casks from Jerez, the result is more than a finish — it's a collaboration across generations and geographies, built on mutual trust in tradition.
As we look ahead, we're proud to continue this partnership with John Sleeman & Sons of Spring Mill Distillery, exploring new expressions and celebrating what's possible when craft travels well beyond its place of origin.
Cheers to Sleeman & Sons and the entire team at Spring Mill Distillery on their well-deserved awards — and on the exceptional whiskies still to come.
See the results of the 2026 Canadian Whisky Awards here.
