Review: Dixon’s Silver Creek Vodka  (76/100)
A review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Revisited May 31, 2019

Dixon’s Distilled Spirits is located in Guelph Ontario. This small distillery produces two brands of Vodka (Silvercreek and Flaming Caesar), two styles of Wicked Gin (a Licorice Botanical Blend and a Citrus Botanical Blend), as well as a ready to drink mix called Gin Fusion.

According to Dixon’s website, Dixon’s Silver Creek Vodka is:

Distilled from Canadian corn and hand-bottled with pride. Carbon filtered for a pure, smooth taste with delicate notes of citrus and pear and with a bready undertone. Perfect on its own, on the rocks or in a martini.

Dixon’s Silver Creek Vodka is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

My First Impression 8.5/10

To the left is a bottle shot of Dixon’s Silver Creek Vodka (my 750 ml sample bottle is shown below with my signature cocktail). The bottle is medium tall with a stout cylindrical shape and a short neck which is just long enough to permit pouring without spilling. The front label is quite nice, and the back label lets us know the vodka was produced and hand bottled from Canadian Corn.

The bottle is sealed with a wood topped synthetic cork which is wrapped in clear plastic.

The First Sip 14.5/20

Prior to tasting Silver Creek Vodka, I placed it in the freezer overnight to chill. I like to begin my vodka tastings with a spirit as close to 1 degree Celsius as I can. This is because I have found that most persons prefer chilled vodka when sipping or enjoying  a shot, so my first taste of the spirit reflects the manner which most would normally choose to consume the spirit. So just prior to the tasting the next day, I got out out my handy thermometer. When I checked the temperature, I found the Silvercreek was a couple degrees below zero Celsius, so I poured a rather large amount into my double shot glass and let it sit until the temperature was just above freezing.

When I brought the chilled glass to my nose, I found the aroma was clean with only very light scents of starch flour and grain spice. However, when I took a small sip I was taken aback by a light but firm metallic taste and an accompanying vegetal quality. I could also taste a mild sweetness, some grain and citrus spice and an impression of mojito mint. I suspect that the aim with respect to this Vodka was not to make a clean tasteless vodka spirit, rather it was to make a vodka which features some of the flavours and character of the Canadian Corn grain from which it was distilled.

As the Silver Creek Vodka warmed closer to room temperature the aroma begins to carry a firmer vegetal presence with impressions of plantain melding with lemony balsam. The taste also brings that firm vegetal component forward underpinned with indications of alcohol spice and citrus.

As interesting as this sounds, I much prefer a cleaner vodka for sipping. The light metallic and firm vegetal flavours are distracting rather than engaging.

Taking a Shot 15/20

I took a large swallow. The first thing I noticed was that the vodka did not have a sharp alcohol taste, nor was there a large burn after the swallow. There was a light burn, but nothing untoward. The light metallic taste which I noted earlier was accompanied by a combination of lemon balm, mint and grainy spice. The lemony taste gained expression in the aftermath and seemed to increase my awareness of a vegetal presence in the spirit.

Out For Dinner  14/20

I served myself a lightly salty home-made pepper-pot soup, some smoked sausage, small pieces of fresh bread, and some Edam and Cheddar cheese slices. It was a decent selection of food to sample while tasting vodka. A very good vodka will usually bring the spicy and salty flavours of the food more into focus helping you to enjoy them. Unfortunately, I noticed the Silver Creek Vodka seemed to be breaking down much too quickly as it warmed. Its vegetal quality and a mild alcohol sharpness did not seem to work with spicy and salty foods. The spirit did seem to pair better with the soft Edam cheese and bread.

Cocktail Hour   24/30

Redemption of a sort was found in my cocktail experimentation. I wouldn’t recommend Silver Creek Vodka for Martinis as the vegetal and light metallic flavour I noted in the tasting pushed through the martini style cocktail. But for gimlet style cocktails the spirit is quite satisfactory, and for less refined cocktails like a Harvey Wallbanger or an Alabama Slammer Silver Creek Vodka is certainly adequate. My suggested serving is shown below.

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Final Score:  76/100 (Suitable for most Cocktails)

If you are interested in comparing more scores, here is a link to my other published Vodka Reviews.

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Suggested Servings

Silver Creek Gimlet

2 oz   Silver Creek Vodka
3/4 oz  Fresh Lime Juice
3/8 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Lime slice

Add the three ingredients into a metal shaker with ice
Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker frosts.
Strain into a nice cocktail glass

Garnish with a slice of lime
And of course…enjoy!

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Sloe and Comfortable Silver Creek Screw

3/4 oz  Silver Creek Vodka
3/4 oz Southern Comfort
3/4 oz Sloe Gin
2 oz  Orange Juice (1 Large Navel Orange Freshly Squeezed)
ice

Garnish with an Orange slice

Add the three spirits over ice
complete with orange juice
Garnish if desired

And of course enjoy this one nice and slow!

Enjoy Responsibly!

Note: If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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You may (loosely) interpret the scores as follows.

0-25     A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49   Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59  You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69   Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74    Now we have a fair mixing Vodka.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79    You may begin to serve this to friends, again for cocktails only.
80-84    We begin to enjoy this Vodka in shots, although cocktails are still preferable.
85-89    Excellent!  Shots or cocktails!
90-94    You may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+       I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 80    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
81 – 89     Silver Medal (Recommended  for shots and mixing cocktails)
90 – 95     Gold Medal (Highly Recommended for Vodka Shots and Sublime Cocktails)
95.5+       Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)