Frequently Asked Questions

The Beverage Lab holds its classes at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, located inside Brookfield Place at 181 Bay Street in downtown Toronto.

We are steps away from Union Station and other major TTC stops. Paid underground parking is available onsite at Brookfield Place - enter via Front St just west of Yonge, or via Wellington St just west of Yonge. (We do encourage responsible consumption at all times; please don't drink and drive.)

Our location is also fully wheelchair accessible, including wheelchair friendly restrooms.

Click here for Google Maps directions

In the case of scheduling conflicts, students will be notified via email regarding an alternate location, at the earliest possible opportunity.

Students of The Beverage Lab must be of legal drinking age in Ontario (19 years of age or older) in order to be served the alcohol samples featured in each class.

If you are from a religious background where alcohol is forbidden, we welcome you to join our courses, however, you must still be 19 years of age or older.

You may be asked to provide an ID check if we are unsure of your legal drinking age status. Those not yet of legal drinking age will not be permitted to enroll in our courses and will be refunded their tuition, subject to a $250 administrative fee.

For WSET and Beverage Lab courses, textbooks are included with your full course registration and payment, and will be given to you in the first week of class.

Naturally, all courses include the best examples of wine/sake we can source! Thanks to our trade connections, we often will include rarities not found in government liquor stores. We always try to pour above and beyond the required quantity / quality of products :)

Currently, as The Beverage Lab is a small, new company, we are not charging HST on course fees at this time. Take your courses with us now in the early stages to save on cost!

Your WSET registration also includes one exam sitting (for the predetermined date of your scheduled course). Extra exam sittings due to illness, absence or a grade lower than Pass are subject to an additional fee.

We accept all major credit cards including AMEX, Visa and MasterCard, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay (Shopify's payment app).

Everyone 19+ is welcome! We encourage wine/sake/drinks lovers from all walks of life to join our community. Best of all, if you do wish to upgrade your professional qualifications and/or join the industry, our courses are just the ticket to enhance your resume.

We are a dynamic and passionate team, and hope to inspire you with our zest for all things beverage. We also pride ourselves on curating best-in-class examples of beverages for your learning experience. Participation in class and questions are encouraged - we invite you to be part of the class conversation.

We also believe in a respectful and professional learning environment for all. If you identify as a person of colour, Indigenous and/or 2SLGBTQIA+, this is a safe space for you! We do not tolerate racism, sexism, harassment or any type of disrespectful treatment of others.

At our main location of Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, wine glasses, spittoons and water will be provided for use on class days and the final exams. You are welcome to bring your own non-alcoholic refreshments to class to stay hydrated.

We strongly encourage you to additionally bring a notebook or laptop to take notes to maximize your learning potential!

Please alert us prior to or during registration of any dietary restrictions or allergies so that we can do our best to accommodate, and alert classmates if necessary.

We highly recommend taking our courses when your schedule is available for 100% of the classes taught. That said, we understand when life gets in the way!

Please alert us by email at the earliest opportunity. As we are small and only offer one course of each type per semester, there are no alternate classes to attend during the term. We would not be able to replace the wine / sake tasting opportunity lost due to illness or absence, however we can certainly share the product list with you so you may try them in your own time. We also suggest that you try to obtain notes from a fellow classmate.