A Muskoka club that served alcohol in 2008 to three young men who later drove their vehicle off a road and into a river will see its liquor licence suspended for 45 days this summer.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued the suspension Wednesday against the Lake Joseph Club, operated by the ClubLink Corp.  The business had admitted to selling liquor to intoxicated persons.

A commission spokesman told the Toronto Star that 45-day suspensions are rare, with most being under 14 days.

The suspension will run from 11 a.m. on June 1 to 2 a.m. on July 16.

In issuing its decision, the commission noted that ClubLink had been remorseful, co-operative and had no prior history of violations.

On July 3, 2008, four young people were at the Joseph Club, considered an upscale establishment that caters to the cottage country set. They consumed a total of 31 drinks during their stay.

After driving away, their Audi failed to negotiate a turn on a day where the roads were dry and the weather good. It struck a guardrail, snapped a tree and ended up in the Joseph River. Tyler Mulcahy, 20, Cory Mintz, 20,  and Kourosh Totonchian, 19, all died. Nastasia Elizinga, 19, survived.

In January 2009, Ontario Provincial Police laid a raft of charges against ClubLink for Liquor Act violations.

Some of those charges were withdrawn, but the company and three employees at the time of the accident will be facing trial in the spring.