Toronto's Distillery District, located on the site of the now defunct Gooderham & Worts Distillery (which was once the largest whisky producer in the world), is a charming enclave of restored brick buildings housing upscale boutiques, cafes and galleries. When Ontario Spring Water Sake Co. opened in April, it also became home to Canada's third sake brewery, the first on the eastern coast of North America.
Housed in an industrial building dating back to the 1850s, Ontario Spring Water Sake Co.'s base of operations functions as both a brewing facility and retail shop. The space itself is stunning, with meter-thick limestone walls and 12 meter vaulted ceilings. The brewing area — equipped with three 100-liter stainless steel tanks and a cedar koji-making room built by a local sauna maker — is visible through large windows, and visitors can watch all of the action from a small tasting bar near the entrance.
Like a lot of North Americans, owner Ken Valvur discovered sake through sushi. Valvur, a Canadian with the smooth voice of a radio announcer and a genteel demeanor, started out in banking before founding the sushi company Bento Nouveau and consulting for the LCBO, the governmental organization that regulates the import and sale of alcohol in the province of Ontario. He fell in love with sake after a visit to Miyasaka Shuzo, the maker of Masumi sake in Nagano Prefecture.