Described by Okanagan Spirits as a “double-wood whisky [that] pays homage to the true story of Captain James Cameron Dun-Waters, ‘The Laird’ who in the early 1900s ordered a special batch of personally labelled single malt Scotch whisky from his homeland Scotland”.
Locally grown and malted barley is used to “capture the local terroir”, as a finishing process in local fortified Foch barrels (a typically medium-bodied French style of red wine) provide a dark fruit character. The much sought-after small-batch whisky is released annually in a lottery-style draw, and is listed as ‘Sold Out’ throughout the remainder of the year online and onsite.
Building on the success of the Laird Of Fintry Single Malt, a Cask Strength version is available for purchase, in addition to a Laird Of Fintry Port Pipe Finish Single Malt which has just been released by Okanagan.
Based out of Kelowna and Vernon, British Columbia, Okanagan Spirits were the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards Craft Distiller Of The Year.
SHELF APPEAL RATING (Note: does not count toward final score, out of 5):
APPEARANCE: Clear. Red mahogany.
NOSE: A very luscious, complex nose has mocha mingle with well-ripened (but not spotted & over-ripened) banana at first whiff, and are followed by plum, Thompson raisins, dry oats flakes and a hint of nutmeg.
PALATE: Palate presents similar offerings as the nose does; chocolate mocha creme and banana are followed up with dark red licorice, kettle corn, and a small bit of hickory smoke.
FINISH: Long, warming and pleasant. Coffee, hickory and dry oat flakes.
ABV: 42%
AGE: NAS
CASK(S): “Custom American white oak casks and finished in Foch barrels” [Foch is a typically medium-bodied red wine]
ENJOY: Neat.
RATING:
Conclusions
Overall, this is a whisky with a very dark and toasted character that has the potential to appease some of the most staunch single malt Scotch whisky lovers – especially those who favor Scotch finished in European oak, like a Glenmorangie or Glendronach.
From a robust and complex nose, to a rich and sumptuous palate, to a delightfully prolonged, lingering finish, Okanagan Spirits’ Laird Of Fintry demonstrates why Canada has become well known for hand-crafting whiskies that pay homage to the Scottish distilling traditions that came here well over a century and a half ago.
[NOTE: Similar to the OG, I tasted the Laird Of Fintry Cask Strength which greatly echoes the original, but with simply ‘more heat’. Though it will please lovers of overproof whisky, the additional abv did not truly seem to yield additional layers of flavor. The Cask Strength version was found to lack the balance that makes the original release recipe so cohesive and complete]
…And For Those So Inclined: A Recommended Cigar Pairing
Pair the Okanagan Spirits’ Laird Of Fintry Single Malt Whisky with a La Galera 1936 Box-Pressed cigar.
The La Galera 1936 Box Pressed is a medium-to-full strength, full-bodied cigar with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and some of the finest Dominican binder and filler tobaccos available. Notes of cocoa, pepper, dried fruit, espresso, and earth make for a satisfying complexity. Enjoying the 1936 Box Pressed alongside the Laird Of Fintry Single Malt brings forward much more char character from within the whisky, as well as nuances of cinnamon and graham cracker.
– Kurt Bradley
Reviewed October 7, 2022.
Kurt Bradley is the founder of The Gentleman’s Flavor, to which he is also a contributing editor, host and curator.
Kurt is a certified Whisky Ambassador accredited by The Scotch Whisky Association and has achieved Level 2 Award in Wine & Spirits Education Trust with distinction.
He lives in Toronto, Ontario.
