What if winning the lottery didn’t mean millions of dollars, but a chance to buy a bottle of whisky?
That’s what thousands of Canadians are hoping for as Okanagan Spirits prepares to release 5,000 bottles of its Laird of Fintry single malt whisky through a draw.
The Okanagan Spirit distillery received more than 42,000 entries.
Wyatt Cooper-Brown, manager of Okanagan Spirits’ Kelowna location, says the company has seen increased sales as more Canadians look toward homegrown spirits amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.
“The trade war for us is almost a silver lining,” Cooper-Brown said. “Massive increase in our sales.”
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He says the company’s bourbon-style whisky has seen particularly strong interest, bringing more customers to its other products.
The changing buying habits extend beyond the distillery.
A recent TD survey found 79 per cent of Canadians plan to support local or Canadian businesses, while 48 per cent said supporting Canadian businesses is a stronger priority than it was last summer.
For some Kelowna residents, the trade dispute has changed where they choose to spend their money.
Hubert, a local resident, said buying Canadian products is a way of supporting the country.
“For us it just means that we’re defending home and kind of trying to uphold Canadian culture,” he said.
Another resident, Cindy, said she has become more deliberate about checking where products are made.
“I don’t think a lot of people realise what was produced in Canada,” she said. “But everyone that I know now, they look at were things are made.”
The increased interest in Canadian whisky comes with a catch for Okanagan Spirits: the company can’t simply increase production overnight.
Its Laird of Fintry whisky is finished in specialized wine barrels from local wineries, which give the whisky its distinct flavour. The distillery says there are only a limited number of those barrels available.
Cooper-Brown says the boost in sales also needs to be viewed in the broader context of the trade war.
“The trade war can be beneficial for some and quite negative for others,” he said. “Although we are seeing increase in sales and what not, it’s still an uphill battle.”
For Okanagan Spirits, the trade war has brought more attention to Canadian-made spirits. For other businesses, the economic impact has been very different.
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