LCBO Food & Drink Early Summer 2023

WORTH THE TRIP

SPRING MILL DISTILLERY, GUELPH SPRINGMILLDISTILLERY.COM The Sleeman family name is synonymous with Canadian beer, but they’ve now delved into spirits as well. “This was the final piece in understanding the history of our family business,” says Cooper Sleeman, gesturing to massive vintage tanks lining the parking lot of his family’s Spring Mill Distillery. Excavated right on the property, the tanks were likely used in illicit Prohibition-era distilling on this site, which is set on the Speed River. The riverside patio makes a perfect perch for enjoying a summery G&T tasting flight. Today, the distillery is equipped with the best copper stills and Canadian Douglas fir washback tanks fabricated in Scotland. Only local grains go into the spirits here. A Cooperage Room displays the oak-shaping and iron-forging tools of Quinn Sleeman, who is becoming a barrelmaker. It seems like the Sleeman name will soon be synonymous with gin, whisky and the like as well.

SPRING & TONIC P. 135

Spring Mill Distillery Gin LCBO 645721, $39.95 Herbaceous, slightly earthy and citrusy, this smooth yet crisp-finishing gin gets subtle fruity notes from a “secret weapon” local ingredient: sea buckthorn berries.

LOCAL BITES

A Ward Board from the distillery bar combines cheese and crackers with local charcuterie (from 3genorganics.ca) and Tangy Red Pepper Jelly (roothamsgourmet.com). A burrata plate, created by La Fontana (la-fontana.ca) in nearby Elora, cradles opulently creamy cheese among greens, tomato tartare and balsamic pearls.

114 FOOD & DRINK EARLY SUMMER 2023