We had the opportunity to speak with Jamie Boudreau, the founder of the Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium.
Jamie, what is your background?
J: I’ve been in this industry for almost 30 years now, almost primarily working in restaurants and restaurant bars. You’re going to hear this a lot, and it’s not a shameless plug, but more details can be found in my new book, The canon Cocktail Book.
So just to get into it, how did Canon get started? What was your vision behind the project?
J: Again, this is described in great detail in my book, but to quickly explain canon, I started with the mindset to be a great neighborhood restaurant, but my creativity, ego and competitiveness got in the way, and we’ve become a destination venue for people all around the world. The original vision had two of the four walls being ensconced in bottles, but never to the degree that we have it now. The cocktails and food program have become more complex as time has passed, and what we are now is quite different from what I had first envisioned. Sometimes you need to listen to your guests and let them help you guide your ship to directions/ports you weren’t originally planning on visiting.
Can you give us the play by play of your typical day at Canon Seattle?
J: Ha! Again, this is described in great detail in the book, with an hour by hour breakdown of my day, but to sum up, now that we are into year five, I usually arrive around 9am and start restocking, organizing, doing paperwork,looking at what needs to be done, repaired/ordered etc. I’ll do some prep, and deal with tons of boring office work and then start planning for future events and menus at canon.
We typically change our menu every 2-3 months, so this consumes a fair amount of time. Ordering/maintaining and finding new inventory eats up hours of every week as well. The only way this program works is with lots of planning and organization. Then there is social media, staff issues etc etc. Not romantic, fairly boring, but that’s what happens when you shift from ‘tending to managing to owning.
Really, my job now is to ensure that the staff has all the tools at their disposal to ensure a unique experience for our guests and that the ship is running smoothly and in the right direction, This sounds easier than it is, as constant readjustments are being made. And yes, I mean constant. Five years in we are still tweaking, streamlining, perfecting and adapting. I hope to get to a point of smooth sailing and maintenance, but with a ship this complex, I suspect that day may never come.
Wow Jamie, sounds like you do it all. What was your proudest moment of running Canon?
J: Tied between opening our doors the first day, to making it through our first lease option. Seeing some of our staff really excel and getting opportunities that perhaps weren’t available to them before working here is very rewarding as well.Being ranked #6 in the world was a good day too.
J: I do not. I’ve been in this industry for way too long, and have had way too many spirits in my life to remember my first whiskey shot (although, being Canadian it was probably CC or Crown Royal), but the first scotch that blew my mind was Bruichladdich 1970. Still remember the creme brulee notes to this day. It’s the spirit that made me appreciate scotch and by proxy all whiskies. Bruichladdich is definitely one of our favorites as well.
How big is the whisky scene in Seattle?
J: Whisky is and always has been big in Seattle. I think our climate demands it. I’m always amazed at the diversity of the whiskey imbiber in this city, from the 120lb female college student drinking Islay peat bombs to the stereotypical 60-year-old man with a fat wallet, pounding his Macallan.
How do you stay current with all the latest whiskies? With all the independent bottlers?
J: Internet internet internet. Distributors in Seattle are notoriously oblivious to their catalogs or anything that isn’t heavily commissioned to move, so I need the web to inform me of new releases to ensure I can even get a single bottle before it disappears forever.
Whisky is becoming a global phenomenon, do you believe countries like Taiwan, India and Japan will become impact players in the Whisky market?
J: Will? They already have, especially Japan. Those warmer climates have the added bonus of needing less time than cooler climate countries to age their product and I am excited to see what is yet to come from the vastly different styles of Asian whiskey.
Jamie, per your opinion, what are you most excited about in the whisky scene?
J: I love the fact that we are in the tail end of a massive boom, with people trying out new things and creating unique expressions. Having said that though, there is also a ton of really bad product out there, especially from these new distilleries in the US, who are trying to cheat time in order to balance their bank accounts (small doesn’t automatically equal good, nor does local), but overall I am excited with the new direction and chances producers are taking. The NAS whiskies trend has got to go, but still, very excited to see what’s coming down the line.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of Tastethedram?
J: It’s fairly common knowledge that we have a large whiskey selection, but what isn’t as well known is that we have the largest American whiskey collection in the world, and one of, if not the largest spirit collections in the world. While we focus on whiskey, with close to 3000 labels, we also have 1000 different labels of the other spirit categories, so no matter what you are looking for, we should have something interesting for you.
