As of next Thursday, May 11, there will once again be an operational distillery in the Distillery District. That’s opening day for Spirit of York, the new occupant of 12 Trinity St.

In their press release, Gerry Guitor says “Spirit of York honours distilling tradition through our commitment to premium quality spirits.”

They go on to emphasize a dedication to using local ingredients, especially water from Springwater, ON.

In common with most new spirits operations, Spirit of York will focus on the white spirits, gin and vodka. Distilleries are less likely to debut with a whisky because of the legally mandated minimum on how long brown spirits have to age in barrels before they're bottled.

As well as making and selling their own spirits, the operation, spread over 7,200 square feet, will also include space for events and barware and customized bitters in the retail shop.

The Distillery District's name and most of the heritage buildings (that make the best-preserved example of Victorian industrial buildings in North America) are leftover from the Gooderham & Worts Limited. At one time it was the largest distilling operation in Canada, but a series of mergers led to the closing of their operations on the Toronto lakefront in the 1990s.