Summerhill Quenches Thirst for Variety

Liquor-lovers who nurture obscure or refined tastes (or those who get excited at the sight of a lot of alcohol) should take a shopping trip to the Summerhill LCBO - Ontario's largest liquor store.

The roaming selection thoroughly covers all the major areas, such as beer, whiskey, liqueurs, and especially wine, which occupys an entire wing of the store. In the clock tower, they also offer tastings (not free, mind you) of various liquors and wines.

Aside from the sight of all those beautiful, glistening bottles, the building itself is a real beauty. It's housed in an old train station, and the original architecture remains. (You even have to cross a strange little moat to get to the front door, which delights the child inside of me.)

The only downside to the store is that service doesn't seem up to snuff. Since the place is so big, and apparently under-staffed, employees are hard to come by - which can be frustrating when you're lost amid a huge range of products. (They also annoyed me by asking for ID when I was buying obscure micro-brews and ridiculously expensive vodka. What teenager buys this stuff?)

The other note to remember is that certain stores have their specialities, which Summerhill doesn't always match. The LCBO at Baldwin and Spadina, for example, offers a better range of Sake. But aside from the odd exception, Summerhill provides a vast selection of almost anything you want to drink.

Thirsty, Anyone?