Put your party pants on, Montreal! La Cuvée celebrates its fifth year March 2-4 at Le Salon 1861. The part we may be looking forward to most? The sweet whisky bar, where Whisky Montréal founder Jean-Francois Pilon will be dispensing sage advice on picking the very best spirits. In anticipation of the event, and for those of you nationwide who can only be there in spirit (see what we did there?!), we chatted with Jean-Francois to get the low-down on all things whisky (plus a sweet recipe). Cheers! —Nicole Chiu
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into this industry.
I fell in love with micro-brewed beer in the early 1990s. I worked at the Festibière de Chambly as a soundman. At the time where the SAQ carried an interesting selection of 78 different beers, I had a collection of over 200 different ones. From beer, I discovered cider and then single malt scotch whisky.
What inspired you to pursue a career in whisky?
At first I simply wanted to chronicle my own discovery path into the whisky world. From there, I decided to start and share the knowledge I garnered while also continuing my own learnings. So I started the Whisky Montréal tasting society and got a job as the spirit writer for Bières et Plaisirs, the most important French-language beer lifestyle magazine.
What is the coolest thing about this job?
Meeting people—simple as that. And to be able to inspire the next generation of beer sommeliers (did I mentioned that I taught the spirits class of the beer sommelier program at La Cité college?).
Are there any recent developments that you find exciting in the whisky world?
Micro distillery is the next big thing. Well, it’s probably the current big thing. Here and all around the world, artisans are creating craft spirits from local ingredients. We see local gins, vodkas and rums from Quebec, Ontario, B.C., Brooklyn, Belgian, etc.
What is your ride-or-die whisky?
Hard to say, but Lagavulin 16, Highland Park 18, Le Castor’s Yakima and LTM’s Oud Bruin are the ones I always keep in stock right now.
What is your go-to snack paired with whisky?
Oysters and Caol Ila (single malt whisky) is amazing. So is pecan pie and bourbon. But you should definitely try pairing a wheated bourbon, like Maker’s Mark, with a German Weiss, like the superb Hefeweizen from Belle Gueule.
What would you pour to win whisky sceptics over?
It depends, but Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky from South Africa is one I poured quite a bit last summer at different festivals around Montreal to do just that. If that’s too hard to find, try the Kilbeggan Blended Irish Whiskey!
What about a whisky rookie? Any advice?
Talk with people who really know their stuff and explain what you usually like and dislike in other food or drinks. Come up with a short list of things to try, and see what you actually enjoy. From there, find other whiskies or beers that focuses on what you like. After that, start pushing your limits a bit. Go out of your comfort zone, you might be surprised at what you find there.
What are some of the criteria for judging a good whisky versus a not-so-good one?
Balance and complexity are the things I look for the most. For example, I love IPAs or peated scotches. But if the former is simply about bitterness, or the latter, smoke, there is not much there to keep my interested past the first few sips. But if the smoke or bitterness is only characters in a much more involved plot, then I’m hooked. The story the nose tells you should be built upon by the taste profile and the mouth-feel. And that story should be coherent, with contrasts, highlights. We always like a few plot twists and surprises, but it should never take you away from the main plot.
And then, there’s consistency. It’s one thing to do a great bottling once, but you should be able to put it back on shelves time and time again with the same quality, if not the same exact taste profile.
Can you share a drink recipe with us?
I love this simple whisky sour that my grandpa called The Canuck:
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz maple syrup
2 oz Canadian rye whisky
2 dashes angostura bitter
Vigorously shake ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Strain in a glass and decorate with a good-quality maraschino cherry and a lemon twist. Adjust the lemon juice and maple syrup to taste. A ratio of 1:3 lemon to syrup seems to be perfect for people with a sweet tooth.
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