The Elora Mill Hotel & Spa is owned and operated by Pearle Hospitality, a company that acquired the historic property in 2010 and subsequently redeveloped it. The company is led by President Aaron Ciancone. Pearle Hospitality specializes in luxury, heritage-focused hospitality properties across Ontario.
Founded by the Ciancone family in 1936, Pearle Hospitality prides itself on providing guests with genuine and thoughtful experiences; created through extraordinary cuisine, gracious service, inspiring settings and a passion for delivering memorable moments.
In 2010, Pearle Hospitality acquired the historic 175-year-old Elora Mill property with the vision of transforming both the north and south banks of the Grand River into a one-of-a-kind destination.
Marty Van Vliet is the owner of The Elora Distilling Company, where the show will be held, and the organizer of the event. Van Vliet came out as gay in the 1980's and said he's surprised that LGBTQIA2+ hate is still prevalent today.
This changed when the historic building at 43 West Mill St., which houses the Gorge Cinema, was bought by Kristy Hillis in January 2022 with plans to restore it and keep the movie theatre in place. In an email, Curtis said with that assurance he was able to pursue work as an animator, something he's done for 20 years.
Staying In a Luxury Boutique Hotel Over a Waterfall
Is Don Kogen married to Kat Florence?
A Vision Realized. In 2025, inspired by the stone's latent brilliance, Don Kogen, alongside his wife, renowned jewelry designer Kat Florence, embarked on a journey to reveal its true beauty.
The Elora Mill has a long and rich history that dates back all the way to 1833. William Gilkison, a Scottish Naval Captain was the person behind the original construction of the Mill. In 1832 Gilkison had a vision to build a Saw Mill that was to be located along the Grand River.
Jim Beam is owned by the Japanese drinks group Suntory Global Spirits, which employs more than 6,000 people around the world, with more than 1,000 people across its sites in Kentucky.
Scotland. As one of a handful of female master blenders in the world, Rachel Barrie is creating some of the world's finest single malt whiskies. With more than 26 years of experience, Rachel joined the Brown-Forman family in March 2017 as master blender for The GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh distilleries.
Whiskey: Matthew McConaughey | Wild Turkey Longbranch Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Matthew McConaughey and Master Distiller Eddie Russell are proud to present this rare, small-batch eight-year-old bourbon!
Surinder Arora is the Founder and Chairman of the Arora Group. Having arrived in the UK as a teenager from India, Surinder founded the business in 1999, running a luxurious four-star hotel at Heathrow for airline staff.
In 2007, a deal was completed that returned Four Seasons to private ownership in a partnership between Microsoft's Bill Gates and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, one of the major shareholders of Four Seasons.
For Costco's vanilla ice cream, it's a creamery in California. For Costco's maple syrup, it's several different companies from Quebec, Canada. But for its bourbon, Costco went with a particularly distinguished source: Barton 1792 Distillery, a distillery that's been around for hundreds of years.
Bourbon maker Jim Beam is halting bourbon making at its Clermont location for at least a year starting in 2026. The decision comes as the whiskey industry navigates tariffs from the Trump administration and slumping demand for a product that needs years of aging before it is ready.
Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky, not an American bourbon, though it uses similar grains (corn, rye, barley) and aging techniques that give it a bourbon-like flavor profile, especially its "Bourbon Mash" expression (now called "Blenders' Mash"), which uses a bourbon-style mash bill but is made in Canada and aged in ex-bourbon barrels, disqualifying it as true bourbon. Bourbon must be made in the U.S. and aged in new charred oak barrels, rules Crown Royal doesn't follow.
The town's most notable landmark is the Elora Mill, a beautiful structure along the riverbank. The Elora Mill was originally a sawmill established in the 1830s. Today, it's a luxury boutique hotel, spa, and events venue. With a population of around 8,000 people, Elora is defined by small-town hospitality.
1668 – Father Marquette founds Sault Ste. Marie, noteworthy as the oldest surviving permanent European settlement in both Ontario and neighbouring Michigan.
