Okanagan distillers quenching thirst for bourbon during trade war with US
A couple of distilleries in the Okanagan are working to meet an increase in demand for their bourbon-based whiskey as American brands are being pulled from BC Liquor Store shelves.
“We have three different styles of bourbon and the demand on bourbon specifically is over 2,100% since the trade war began, it’s ridiculous,” said owner at Okanagan Spirits Tyler Dyck who is also the president of both the Craft Distillers Guild of BC and the Canadian Craft Distillers Alliance.
“It’s quite similar right across Canada at the distilleries.”
Last week, premier David Eby directed BC Liquor stores to pull all products manufactured in Republican states off of shelves which included bourbon made in Kentucky and Tennessee, and in a statement issued March 10 directed all American booze be pulled.
There are two bourbon-style whiskey producers in the Okanagan filling that gap with value-added, locally crafted bourbon, Dyck’s company and Urban Distilleries in Kelowna.
“Removing red state bourbon meant people didn’t have access to that type of corn-style whiskey, I think that’s why Canadians looked around to see what else is in their own country,” Dyck said.
“There’s an increase in demand to be a Canadian. Like in hockey, when someone insults your team, it’s time to drop the gloves and fight.”
Whiskey is produced all over the world, with Scotland being arguably the most famous of the whiskey producing countries, according to World Whiskey Day.
American whiskey includes bourbon, a type of whiskey distilled from a mash made mostly of corn, that originated in the Republican state of Kentucky.
For a whiskey to call itself a bourbon its mash has to have 51% corn at minimum, and be distilled at 160 proof or less. The distillate must be stored in charred new oak barrels at 125 proof or less and not contain additives.
Okanagan Spirits produces a number of whiskeys, three of which are award-winning bourbon-based whiskey made from grain corn grown by farmers in the North Okanagan.
“Our bourbon has won gold on the world stage because it’s unapologetically Canadian, it’s terroir specific,” Dyck said. “Corn whiskey has a beautiful honeycomb note and is gentle and smooth, with caramel and vanilla notes.”
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“People looking for value-added Canadian alternatives and are pleasantly surprised, it’s better than the bourbons south of the border, which are commercial, big industry bourbons.”
One bourbon whiskey made at Okanagan Spirits is called BLK BRBN that is chocolate malted and aged in custom-heavy toasted, charred white oak barrels.
Distiller at Urban Distilleries in Kelowna, Sonia Martinez, said demand for her bourbon-style whiskey called Urban Burban is also increasing. She started distilling whiskey a decade ago.
“We’ve been getting a lot emails from local establishments asking if we carry bourbon lately,” she said. “Our bourbon is 75 per cent corn and the rest is malted barley.
“Our bourbon is a smooth bourbon. It’s a little on the sweet side and has a beautiful bourbon colour to it.”
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Dyck said there are 85 craft distilleries in the province and maybe a dozen that have bourbon-style, or corn-style, whiskey.
“Whiskey takes time to age and a lot of the distilleries are less than a decade old,” he said. “They would have started making vodka and gin, then progressed to liquors and then got into whiskey.
“In the next ten years, you’ll see a lot more whiskeys produced in BC.”
Locally produced alcoholic beverages are not available in BC Liquor stores, and Dyck is hoping the current trade war will push the provincial government to change that to support jobs, farms and farm-to-bottle products.
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Bourbon from both companies can be purchased onsite or ordered online through their websites at Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery and at Urban Distilleries.
Okanagan Spirits is headquartered in Vernon at 5204 24 Street and has a smaller distillery and cocktail lounge in Kelowna at 267 Bernard Avenue.
Urban Distilleries is located in Kelowna at 327 Bernard Avenue.
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