Boozy Book Review: The Definitive Guide To Canadian Distilleries
photo by Maggie Kimberl
A new travel guide to Canadian Distilleries is a worthwhile read, even as an armchair-based tour
If there is any one supreme reigning expert on Canadian whisky, it’s Davin de Kergommeaux. He’s been writing on the topic for decades as the Canadian Editor for Whisky Magazine as well as the author of several books on the topic. His latest book, written with partner Blair Phillips, is The Definitive Guide To Canadian Distilleries, a travel book intended to highlight the more than two hundred distilleries dotting Canada’s landscape. His previous book, Canadian Whisky: The New Portable Expert, contains a wealth of information about Canadian distilling heritage and history, and this new book extends that knowledge to include information about nearly all the currently functioning distilleries across Canada. I had the chance to interview de Kergommeaux to learn more about this travel guide for all things Canadian distilled spirits, and how that translates to the pandemic age.
“The book is a travel book so people can visit distilleries in Canada,” says de Kergommeaux. “That’s why we did all those maps and those sidebars with what’s close by. They’re all making all kinds of interesting spirits. We decided we were going to do all the distilleries, so then we went to list their products, and Blair, who is my partner on this, has a really good palate for spirits other than whisky, and whisky too. Most of the distilleries aspire to make whisky but they are making other things in the meantime. We decided to include everything.”
Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on travel and tourism plans for the time being, but the Canadian whisky industry is making the necessary adjustments. “There have been several impacts,” de Kergommeaux says. “First, it has been really heartwarming how distillers, large and small have stepped right up to make sanitizers, at first for front-line workers and now for more general distribution. The distilleries have generated so much good will and received such a great response from front-line workers and media that regulators and politicians will just have to view them in a much more generous light once this has passed.”
As in the states, pivoting production has meant that authorities essentially have to rewrite liquor laws. “It is also remarkable, that in times of need, the regulatory bodies were able to cut the red tape and get sanitizer production approved in just a day in some cases,” remarks de Kergommeaux. “I think pretty much all the distilleries, large and small, that can afford to do so, are now making hand sanitizer. For example, Shelter Point alone distributed 30,000 litres their second week in operation and have expanded since then. All from one little gin pot.”
“Many distilleries are closed to the public while others are reduced to curbside or online delivery,” he continues. “This appears to be affecting income overall and as many of the newer distilleries operate on a shoestring, I worry that there may be some shakeout before this is over. Virtually all of Canada is in at least some form of isolation and this really reduces the income of distilleries that rely on restaurant and bar revenues over and above spirits sales.”
The process of writing a book is difficult even in the best of circumstances, but it can certainly be more challenging going through the process with two people. “It’s normally an incredibly difficult process because of egos, but Blair and I somehow clicked,” de Kergommeaux says. “Back in 2011-2012 he was sending me questions about Canadian Whisky and he came to my book launch in 2012. Back then I was the Canadian Editor for Whisky Magazine and I was looking for writers to help out and Blair did a little bit and then we started writing together. In 2014 we started on this whisky adventure series, so we were getting out there and visiting all these different distilleries and seeing what was going on and coming up with some pretty wild stories and finding ourselves in some pretty wacko situations, like accidentally walking out of a bar without paying and it was a bar across the street from The Outlaws Motorcycle Gang.” Whoops!
It all came full circle, adds de Kergommeaux. He offers some insight into how they managed. “It kind of naturally came together that we should write a book together. The way that we write together is very productive. One of us will write a first draft and then send it off to the other, who will edit it freely and then going back and forth until we get something we agree on. It’s always a lot better than what either of us would come up with on our own. We really complement each other.”
The book is broken into sections based on location of the distilleries, and then further broken down with details about them. It covers not only the basics about the distillery but also what they produce, and also what’s nearby to check out. There are helpful maps throughout the book, including a map of all the distilleries in Canada inside the back cover, making it easy to visualize the remoteness of some of the locations.
“The City of Whitehorse has a population of 40,000 people, and I think the entire territory has a population of 42,000 people,” de Kergommeaux reports. “I spent some time up there and they have a fabulous distillery. These are two guys who started a brewery 20 years ago and they were making whisky as a side project and they never got around to releasing it. It was just sitting there maturing. It was about seven years old before they did their first release, and the stuff really benefited from spending that long in the barrel. A lot of small distillers, as soon as it’s three years old they release it because they need the money, and you can’t release anything younger than that in Canada. These guys are making plenty on the brewery, and the brewery has a visitor’s center attached, so the distillery keeps the staff employed in the winter time. Up there you go to a bar and it doesn’t say ‘bar’ on the outside because everyone knows. There’s a bar there that opens up at 9 a.m. and they call it ‘The Breakfast Club’, and there’s a great culinary scene up there. The stories I’ve heard, you pay 20 bucks for a peanut butter sandwich and I’ve never run into that up there. They have good food and good drink and really welcoming people.”
courtesy Davin de Kergommeaux
The process of writing this book took many years and was based on a whisky travel and adventure series de Kergommeaux and Phillips were already writing for Whisky Magazine. The idea for the book evolved over time until it became clear to the duo the most important thing they could do was to write a travel companion to help people explore the many distilleries across Canada.
“We started in 2014 visiting these distilleries,” says de Kergommeaux. “We were working on that travel series for Whisky Magazine, but the book idea didn’t really come into shape until about three years ago. We had a different book we were going to do which was more spirits based. We decided instead to go with the distilleries because that’s what everyone really wants to see. Small distilleries represent maybe 1% of the spirits sold in Canada but they get all the media. People want to visit them, and they are welcoming and interesting. So we shaped the book to be more about the distilleries themselves.”
This is not just a book about Canadian whisky or distilleries that produce whisky, though. It’s a book about the distilling culture itself in Canada. So what are some of the best and most interesting spirits the duo discovered in their travels?
“For whisky, Shelter Point is miles ahead of almost everyone,” de Kergommeaux says. “Two brewers in the Yukon, fabulous stuff. Stalk and Barrel that comes from Still Waters Distillery in Toronto, they’re making really good spirits that are really quite satisfying. We have North of Seven Distillery right here in Ottawa, which makes really great bourbon style whisky and American rye style whisky. We have Last Mountain in Saskatchewan and Eau Claire in Alberta making great whisky [editor’s note: Eau Claire are best medalists in the NY International Spirits Competition].”
De Kergommeaux reflects on some of the other interesting spirits he’s tasted in his Canadian distillery travels. “Ampersand’s Nocino - it’s a liqueur made out of the skins of black walnuts. We have amaros coming out of British Columbia. We have some interesting rums coming from the East Coast. Some of these distilleries have truly wonderful craft vodkas. We have regulations that allow them to use any agricultural product to make vodka, and they are not required to filter out that last little bit of flavor. So we have vodka that is made from maple sap. It’s not sweet but it has those woody notes that you get in real maple syrup. Then we have vodka that’s made from milk permeate — it’s 100% milk — it’s creamy and lush and it feels like there’s cream in your vodka. We have vodka made from blueberries, apples, and these all retain an essence of what they are made from. These things are beyond subtle and very exciting. The gin that’s coming out of Quebec right now — there’s a mushroom gin that’s just fabulous. I don’t appreciate them like Blair does but I really enjoy them.”
Throughout this book there are great photos of distilleries, distillers, bottles, cocktails, and more, showcasing the creativity in the Canadian distilling industry. Even though people across the world are stuck at home right now, it’s a great time to start planning the next adventure.
courtesy Blair Phillips
“People who are interested in distilling and distilleries will want the background and the history,” de Kergommeaux says. “The way it’s set up, it’s for armchair travelers to sit there and plan their trips and plan their tours, or perhaps order some spirits and sit there and learn about the distilleries when they drink them. It’s for people to put a copy in the front seat of the car and just start driving. We’ve organized it so that people can easily figure out the best routing and where’s the next place they should go. It’s really for people who want to experience the distilleries first and the spirits as well. It’s a travel guide and it gives good profiles of the distilleries.”
There’s a brief profile about halfway through the book of Don Livermore, Hiram-Walker Master Blender and arguably one of the most talented production people in all of Canadian whisky. Whereas in the past Canadian distilleries have been quiet on the self-promotion front, this book gives readers a front row seat to meet the people shaping the future of the Canadian distilling industry today. Even if you aren’t planning a trip to Canada any time soon, it’s worth owning this book just to learn about the wonderful distilling innovation that is taking place in Canada right now. Wondering where to find the book?
“It’s available everywhere online with all the stores closed,” says de Kergommeaux. “People can also go to our website, canadiandistilleries.com for any updates, and we are keeping it updated as distilleries change. There has been a huge explosion in new distilleries in 2019, but now it’s tapered off a bit. We have 253 listed and 200 profiles. People can follow me @DavindeK for more on social media.”
The leaders featured in this book are going to be the historical figures of tomorrow’s Canadian whisky history. Davin de Kergommeaux and Blair Phillips want to introduce you to them.