Inside the kitchen of John Sleeman, founder of Sleeman Breweries

The Sleeman name may be synonymous with beer, but these days John Sleeman is obsessed with spirits. While he still has one foot in the draught game—he sold Sleeman Breweries to Sapporo in 2006 but stayed on as chairman—he’s since opened Spring Mill Distillery: John Sleeman and Sons, in Guelph. There, he and his sons, Cooper and Quinn, distill whiskey, vodka, gin and a slew of liqueurs, many made with local botanicals. Their hope is to recreate the passion—and success—that made Sleeman a household name in the ale business.

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Although beer runs in Sleeman’s blood, he’s technically a self-made beer baron. His family brewed from the 1830s until 1933, when their licence was revoked by the Crown during Prohibition. In 1984, Sleeman’s aunt handed him the family’s old recipe book, which was handwritten by John’s grandfather. It inspired him to revive the family tradition. He also keeps some of the company’s original beer bottles in his Oakville home.

The idea for a spirits business had been percolating for years before his current venture produced its first bottle of whiskey in 2019. That means there was plenty of time for rigorous “product research”: Sleeman and his sons eagerly took on the task of sampling some of the world’s best bracers.

Below is the cabinet where they keep bottles that are currently on the go. There’s everything from Eagle Rare Bourbon to Johnnie Walker Green Label (Sleeman’s favourite mass-market scotch, which he stocked up on in case of shortages). Tucked in the back is a bottle of Johnnie Walker and Sons King George V, a difficult-to-find blend made with rare whiskies from distilleries that were operational during George V’s reign.

The wet bar is complete with an Aarke, SodaStream’s Swedish rival. The on-demand sparkling water is enjoyed by everyone in the house except Sleeman. “If I need something with fizz in it, it’s prosecco, champagne or Diet Coke,” he says.

Downstairs is where the fanciest labels are stored, plus a few hundred bottles of wine and champagne. It’s a collection with more depth than those of many LCBOs. One of Sleeman’s most prized bottles is a 1963 Fonseca Vintage Port.

Between running two major booze labels, Sleeman isn’t home much. “I work about 80 hours a week,” he says. In the summers, his wife, Julie, ditches her workaholic husband for the cottage. Without her around, the fridge tends to look a little forlorn. “When she’s home, she fills the fridge with human food. Right now it’s just my inhuman food,” he says, referring to the Diet Coke, cured meats, pickles, processed cheese and easy-to-barbecue meats (burgers, steaks) that he relies on.

“You’ll notice there’s not a lot of green stuff in there,” he says. “I’m just not a vegetable fan.” Despite this, Sleeman says his doctor is always surprised at how healthy he is, which Sleeman partly attributes to his caffeine-free lifestyle—he stopped drinking java 30 years ago. Still, he has his vices. “I drink about six caffeine-free Diet Cokes a day,” he says. “It’s an addiction.”

On workdays, Sleeman often leaves the house without eating or drinking anything. Supper is his one big meal. If he’s out too late to hit any of Oakville’s kitchens (which is often), he’ll throw some hot dogs on the barbecue or graze on deli meat, pickle and Cheez Whiz sandwiches. When he does make it home before 9 p.m., he heads to the Queen’s Head pub for fish and chips or Enoteca 7 or Borgo Antico for Italian. And yes, he eats his pizza with a fork and knife—how else can he fuel up and send emails at the same time?

When Julie’s in town, the couple entertain. Cooper and Quinn might come over with their wives, and once in a blue moon, Sleeman will cook. “Dad cooks about once a year, and on that day, none of us are allowed in the kitchen,” says Cooper. “It flusters him,” adds Quinn.

If Sleeman is putting out a feast for the family, he’ll usually whip up a soup to start—the boys say his vichyssoise is top tier—followed by pasta bolognese with a caprese salad on the side. When cooking, Sleeman follows recipes to the letter, but he’s been known to let a pot or two burn. He’s much more at ease on the grill. Right now, he has a spatchcocked chicken in the fridge for tonight’s dinner.

While he may be more of a survivalist than an epicurean, Sleeman does love good food. He’s especially keen on buying quality meat and fish. Some of his favourite shops include Oakville’s Old Fashioned Butcher, which carries excellent poultry and sausages, and Maxwell’s Meats, in Flesherton. In the Sleeman family’s opinion, Maxwell’s offers better cuts than most urban butchers. It’s where they buy their steaks (tri-tips, cross cuts), smoked Great Lakes fish and scallops. For cured meats, the family is all about Angelino’s, an Italian market in Guelph with an excellent salumi selection and an enticing hot table.

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Here’s a look in the freezer: a mix of frozen burgers from the Keg and Maxwell’s, humongous scallops, and some locally smoked trout. There’s also a stash of Kerrygold butter. “I’ll lather cheap white bread with butter,” says Sleeman. “There’s nothing better.”

Sleeman doesn’t putz around the pantry much: the only thing he grabs from here is the Barberian’s steak spice (his go-to for grilling red meat).

There are two more fridges downstairs, both restored vintage pieces. The oldest is a 1953 Coke machine, now cheerfully dispensing bottles of original, fully caffeinated Coca-Cola—no 15-cent payment required. Next to it stands a relic from the ’60s, which a member of Sleeman’s delivery crew rescued from a ditch along Highway 11. This fridge is stocked with heaps of beer (cream ale, Sapporo, Pabst) and cans of caffeine-free Coke.

This seat was rescued from the Montreal Forum before it was decommissioned and gutted in 1996. Although Sleeman is a Leafs fan, he has fond memories of supporting the Habs from Sleeman Breweries’ old house seats—including the time he got so rowdy that he was ejected from the stadium.