Hey Hey, Up He Rises! BY ALEX HENDRY Alex sits down with Halifax Nova Scotia’s Keegan McGregor, Diageo’s World Class Canada Bartender of 2024, to chat about his approach to cocktails, hospitality and the journey ahead.
I’ve known about Keegan for years through the east coast scene. He comes across as a humble guy working to perfect his craft while shining a light on hospitality. We sat down at Stillwell Beer Bar in Halifax, across from the Highwayman where he works and I immediately felt he was as down to earth and personable as he seemed. His first bartending gig was at Plan B in Moncton New Brunswick where he wanted an in to book his/his friends bands. He’s worked everywhere. He’s had his share of dive bars but also opened the Adelaide Oyster House in St. John’s, NL before landing in Halifax. That’s where he began digging into competitions. With all sorts of bars and bartenders out there, Keegan’s unstuffy “kitchen party” mentality carries over from his musical background and strikes a chord with me (nice pun right?). As a fellow New Brunswicker, when he casually talks about winning this latest competition by being authentically himself and not competing with the other bartenders in suits, I muttered “fuck yeah” to myself because he was just crowned at one of the most prestigious cocktail competitions, yet explains it like he simply wanted people to feel like they came over to his house for a few drinks.
He speaks passionately and with excitement when he describes how fine dining hospitality, particularly on the east coast, is starting to “loosen the tie” and front of house (FOH) staff are being themselves yet still demonstrating that refined, precise touch to what they do. “Maybe it was growing up on the east coast or in a pub but that kind of hospitality resonates within me”, he wonders out loud. Just so happens it resonates with me too. This was his third appearance at the Diageo World Class Canada competition. He thought he was out of his element for the first one and not quite himself. Second time - felt better but he may have fumbled and lost confidence. Although he didn’t say it, this time I feel the sentiment was more like “Screw it, I’m just going to be me”. So what happens next? He wants to shake off the stuffiness of cocktails, help educate his community, tinker with cool things and say “here, try this!” Keegan wants to take people out of their comfort zone by gently pushing them over the edge and let them free fall into a perfectly executed hot buttered bourbon or an Oban 14 with lemon, pear and orange blossom water.
Compass Box has made huge waves since reinventing what a whisky blending house is. John’s transparent and revolutionary approach was embraced by imbibers who flocked to the brand in droves. The complexity and rarity of the whiskies he used in the blends spoke loudly to amateurs and connoisseurs who were intrigued by the intricate flavours and prices that fit all budgets: to say the first 23 years were exciting, is an understatement. John Glaser left Compass Box in very good hands, earlier this year. So I challenged myself - How do I present to our readership the analogy of a cool summer breeze in a bottle? With one of John’s last creations of The Orchard House (2021), it seems I’ve found our winner. The website describes it as a blended malt using whisky from Clynelish, Linkwood, and Benrinnes which gives this aperitif a solid and tasty backbone. The name also perfectly describes what you find inside the bottle. The nose is fresh and lovely with notes of pears and no surprise, orchard fruits. There’s a sharpness that I describe as intriguing, alluring even. The palate delivers the same fruity and floral overtone with the addition of fresh peaches and passion fruit. Close your eyes and you can almost see
yourself standing in a beautiful orchard while the sun beams on your face. The finish is short but that’s ok because the bottle is full and summer days are long. It’s not often I pair something as light and beautiful as this whisky but I feel like the “Undercrown Shade” from Drew Estate is perfection. I often recommend this cigar for beginners as an easy stepping stone with its ultra smooth draw since it’s wrapped in a delicate Ecuadorian Connecticut shade leaf which fits elegantly into our little summertime whisky escapade.
I do hope you’ll have a chance to relax over the lazy summer ahead and enjoy the softer side of dramming, and ahhhhhhh.
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the whisky explorer magazine
the whisky explorer magazine
SUMMER 2024
SUMMER 2024
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