Spring Mill Distillery

Spring Mill Distillery is a craft distillery in Guelph, Ontario, producing rye and single malt whisky and an RTD mule cocktail, and operating an on-site bar, retail store, distillery tours, private events, and a Canada-wide online shop serving Canadian consumers.

Company typePrivate
Founded1836
HeadquartersGuelph, Canada
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

What Spring Mill Distillery does

Spring Mill Distillery is a craft distillery based in Guelph, Ontario, operating under John Sleeman & Sons and drawing on a six-generation family brewing and distilling heritage dating to 1836. It launched in 2024 with a tight, premium-positioned core portfolio consisting of a Rye Whisky priced at CA$44.95, a Single Malt Whisky at CA$64.95, and a Ginger & Lime Mule ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail at CA$3.25. The business is built around a single production site that also functions as a consumer destination.

The facility combines production, retail, hospitality, and events under one roof: The Ward Bar serves as an on-site bar, a retail store sells directly to visitors, and distillery tours plus private events/weddings generate experience-led revenue. Distribution is anchored direct-to-consumer through an on-site shop and a new online store with Canada-wide delivery, with no disclosed wholesale or third-party retail footprint in the source material.

Spring Mill is a privately held, for-profit operator with 11–50 employees and no disclosed funding, investors, or external capital partners. It is structurally separate from, though family-linked to, Sleeman Breweries Ltd. (founded 1988), and operates as a small-scale Canadian craft spirits brand rather than a mass-market producer.

Spring Mill Distillery firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Spring Mill Distillery
Legal name: John Sleeman & Sons
Website: https://springmilldistillery.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1836
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Spring Mill Distillery is a craft distillery in Guelph, Ontario, producing rye and single malt whisky and an RTD mule cocktail, and operating an on-site bar, retail store, distillery tours, private events, and a Canada-wide online shop serving Canadian consumers.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Spring Mill Distillery industry classification

Industry

Product category: Craft Spirits
NAICS: Distilleries (312140)
SIC: Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)
akta.pro primary industry: Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)
akta.pro secondary industry: Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

Craft spirits
Rye whisky
Single malt whisky
Ready-to-drink cocktails
Distillery tours

Where Spring Mill Distillery is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Guelph
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Spring Mill Distillery business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Spirits Sales (Direct-to-Consumer): Direct sales of craft spirits including rye whisky, single malt whisky, and ready-to-drink products through on-site retail store, online shop with Canada-wide delivery, and The Ward Bar cocktail service.
On-Site Experiences: Revenue from distillery tours, The Ward Bar cocktail sales, private events bookings, and wedding venue rentals at the historic Guelph distillery location.
E-commerce: Online ordering platform enabling direct delivery of spirits to consumers across Canada, including limited releases and distillery exclusives.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Rye Whisky - CA$44.95
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Single Malt Whisky - CA$64.95
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Ginger & Lime Mule - CA$3.25

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Spring Mill Distillery product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Spring Mill Distillery is a craft distillery that produces small-batch spirits under the John Sleeman & Sons brand, including rye whisky, single malt whisky, and ready-to-drink Ginger & Lime Mule cocktails. The distillery sells these products directly to consumers through an on-site retail store, the on-premise Ward Bar, and an e-commerce shop delivering across Canada. It also offers paid distillery tours with tastings and rents out private event and wedding space in the historic Cooperage Room.

Product overview

Spring Mill Distillery (John Sleeman & Sons) is a craft distillery that produces spirits including rye whisky, single malt whisky, and ready-to-drink cocktails like the Ginger & Lime Mule. The distillery operates a retail store, The Ward Bar for cocktails, offers distillery tours, and maintains an online shop for direct-to-consumer delivery across Canada. The product portfolio consists of spirits brands under the John Sleeman & Sons name, supplemented by experiential services including tours, private events, and the on-site cocktail bar.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

John Sleeman & Sons Rye Whisky: A signature rye whisky product sold at CA$44.95
John Sleeman & Sons Single Malt Whisky
John Sleeman & Sons Ginger & Lime Mule
The Ward Bar
Cooperage Room

Products and services

John Sleeman & Sons Rye Whisky

Companies that use Spring Mill Distillery

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Spring Mill Distillery technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Spring Mill Distillery partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Spring Mill Distillery competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Still Waters Distillery: Ontario craft distillery producing small-batch spirits with an on-site retail and tasting experience. Comparable to Spring Mill in craft production, Ontario DTC model, and experiential offering.
Dillon's Small Batch Distillers: Beamsville, Ontario craft distillery producing small-batch spirits with a focus on local grain sourcing and on-site tasting experiences. Highly comparable to Spring Mill in craft positioning, Ontario heritage, DTC channels, and tour/tasting operations.
Bearface Whiskey: Canadian craft whisky brand with experiential marketing and limited releases, positioned in the premium Canadian whisky niche. Comparable to Spring Mill's John Sleeman & Sons premium rye/single malt range and DTC-first approach.
Spirit of York Distillery Co. Toronto-based craft distillery producing vodka, gin, and rye whisky with on-site tasting room and retail. Direct comparable in Canadian craft spirits, urban/Ontario footprint, premium bottle pricing, and DTC-led distribution.
Junction 56 Distillery: Ontario craft distillery with on-site tasting room producing craft spirits using locally sourced inputs. Comparable to Spring Mill in craft positioning, Ontario location, and DTC/on-premise dual-channel model.

Broad incumbents

Crown Royal: Diageo-owned Canadian whisky giant and dominant domestic rye/whisky brand. Comparable as the incumbent against which Spring Mill's premium craft rye and single malt compete for shelf, on-premise presence, and consumer mind share.
JP Wiser's: Pernod Ricard-owned Canadian whisky portfolio spanning value to premium tiers. Comparable as a mass-market Canadian whisky incumbent against which Spring Mill positions its Sleeman-distilled craft single malt and rye offerings.

Others

Sleeman Breweries: Separate Canadian brewing entity founded by the Sleeman family in 1988. Related by family/brand heritage rather than direct competition; functions as both a brand-credibility reference and a potential channel or partnership counterpart for Spring Mill's spirits portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Spring Mill Distillery financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Spring Mill Distillery leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Spring Mill Distillery funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Spring Mill Distillery M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spring Mill Distillery

What does Spring Mill Distillery do?

Is Spring Mill Distillery a public or private company?

Spring Mill Distillery is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was Spring Mill Distillery founded?

Spring Mill Distillery was founded in 1836. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Spring Mill Distillery based?

Spring Mill Distillery is headquartered in Guelph, Canada, in the North America region.

How does Spring Mill Distillery make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Spirits Sales (Direct-to-Consumer) is the primary driver. The others are on-Site Experiences and E-commerce.

Who are Spring Mill Distillery's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Still Waters Distillery, Dillon's Small Batch Distillers, Bearface Whiskey, Spirit of York Distillery Co. and Junction 56 Distillery. Broad incumbents are Crown Royal and JP Wiser's. Sleeman Breweries is listed as an others.

Does Spring Mill Distillery have an API?

No public API is recorded for Spring Mill Distillery.

What industry is Spring Mill Distillery in?

Spring Mill Distillery's product category is Craft Spirits. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAGAF, Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka), with a secondary code of THAJAGAE, Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings. Its NAICS code is 312140 and its SIC code is 5180.