BUY THIS BOOK: Canadian Spirits by Christine Sismondo and Stephen Beaumont
In which one Moose Milker (Adam McDowell) plugs the other one's latest volume
Those of you who know my Moose Milk co-editor Christine also know that plugging one’s own book is the most un-Christine thing you can do. She would never, for example, state the obvious fact that if you read Moose Milk, you really ought to own a copy of Canadian Spirits, which she co-wrote with our pal Stephen Beaumont. It’s a book about … wait for it … the exciting Canadian spirits scene, which is growing at astonishing speed from coast to coast to coast.
So the job of plugging the book falls to me, and I am happy to be unequivocal: Canadian Spirits is excellent — even better than I expected — and it is now officially launched, so what are you waiting for? Buy a copy!
Should some of you require more eloquent persuasion, please consider these points:
1) It’s about damn time.
As Sismondo and Beaumont note by way of introduction, the Canadian spirits scene has rocketed from almost nothin’ to really somethin’ in a few years flat — most interestingly, the independent side of it. This volume is, as they call it, a “snapshot” — of an industry that is growing so fast it’s hard to tell whether it’s peaking or still exploding. It’s worth checking to see if there are more gin-slingers in your own province than you realize (unless you live in Newfoundland, in which case, it’s still like one or two, sorry).
After reading this, I lean on the side of optimists who see room to grow: The authors soberly note that we still haven’t even reached critical-mass awareness of what distilling even is — apparently people still show up at distilleries asking what kind of beer they make. (Oh, Canada. You idiots!)
2) Canadian Spirits is impressively detailed.
This isn’t just a quickie catalogue type of book. BeauMondo actually tracked down the multitudinous distiller-owners, interviewed them to get a sense of their story and approach, and, in that sense, captured a first draft of the history of Canadian distilling in the late 2010s. There’s narrative here, not just a bunch of directions on finding the distilleries and information about what each one of them sells.
3) OK but also
There’s a bunch of directions on finding each distillery, and information about what they sell, which is useful.
4) The authors have good taste …
… I mean, beyond being friends of mine (har, har), SisMont are very experienced booze-evaluators, which is not my way of saying they’re lushes. It is my way of saying you should absolutely trust their assessments of the dozens of products mentioned.
Craft spirits can be pricey. If you’re going to be deciding which local gin is worth plunking down $45 for, why not spend $30 on a book that will definitely help? Go with the judgment of the only people in the world who have actually assembled Canada’s finest spirits from across the land and taste-tested them systematically in their kitchens.
Given our country’s stupid liquor laws (the villain of the book, naturally), this whole thing was tricky to do, and that brings me to my final point:
5) This initiative deserves your support
This book represents a lot of hard work, in a way that maybe not everyone will appreciate.
Do you know why so many of the booze writers in this country are such fast friends? In part because we share a deep, dark secret: Booze writing is harder than it looks. Sampling spirits, and being rigorous and precise about it, is surprisingly gruelling in ways I will try to explain in a future edition of Moose Milk.
For the time being: When my copy of Canadian Spirits arrived yesterday I immediately recognized what a massive effort it had involved (I mean, Christine had also told me, but still). Support this and you’ll do your part in proving that thorough and careful examinations of Canadian booze topics can sell, and are therefore worth a publisher’s time.
Do it now, because the book business is cutthroat, and early sales really help.
But most of all, buy this book because we’re living in a fun time for Canadian booze and this is your guide to all the interesting stuff going on!
Stephen Beaumont (left) and Christine Sismondo.