r/canadawhisky

ABV: 46%

Cask: Bourbon, Spanish Oloroso, Portuguese Red Wine, Spanish Pedro Ximenez & Virgin American Casks

Price Paid: N/A

Chill Filtered: No

Colour Added: No

Nose:

Field Berries dominate this. Like walking along an end-of-summer field with Raspberries, Goseberries, and Blueberries. Leather books and a slight pie crust smell.

Palate:

Cherry pie and that salted pie crust topping. It's like eating a slice and getting every aspect of the pie in one go! Milk chocolate and fig. Slight peat on the back finish.

Finish:

Medium finish dominated by the cherry-pie note and milk chocolate to bring it home. Stays on your plate and makes you want to sip more of it.

Verdict:

I love this bottling. It's one I normally bring out for people who aren't into Canadian single malt. It's one I say, "here, this is what single malt in Canada is."

86/100

Over the years, I’ve really come to appreciate what Okanagan Spirits has been doing.

They’ve never felt interested in simply copying scotch or bourbon. A lot of their releases feel distinctly Okanagan, local barley, local climate, and increasingly, local wine casks shaping the whisky itself.

One of my favourite examples of that was their Laird of Fintry lottery release, finished in Foch barrels from Quails Gate winery. That whisky struck this awesome balance between rich wine-driven fruit and a really solid malt backbone, and it honestly made me pay closer attention to what Okanagan Spirits was doing.

So when I saw this BSV Pipe Finish , a 9yr single malt finished in port pipes from Black Sage Vineyard, I was immediately curious.

And honestly? This thing leans hard into the port cask… but mostly in a good way if you like jammy sweet whiskies.

Nose:
Big wave of dark fruit right away. Cherry, raspberry jam, but sweetness like caramelized sugar, cocoa powder, toasted oak. Definitely dessert-adjacent, but not obnoxiously so.

Palate:
Rich. Fruit-forward. Pretty decadent for a BC single malt. I got chocolate-covered berries, honeyed malt, and some gentle oak. The port influence is very obvious, but the whisky still shows up (which is the important part).

There’s always a risk with these bigger wine finishes that the cask just steamrolls the spirit, especially when distilleries use them to hide younger whisky. This didn’t feel like that.

Finish:
Medium-long with lingering dark fruit, cocoa, and drying oak tannins. Slight wine-like richness hangs around nicely without turning syrupy.

Honestly, this almost drinks like a dessert whisky at times, but in a way I kind of enjoyed.

Not a traditional Canadian whisky by any stretch, but I think that’s kind of the point. The cool part here is how “Okanagan” the whole experience feels from all the ingredients Feels less like a gimmick and more like Okanagan Spirits continuing to develop its own whisky identity while surrounded by world class wineries.

Curious if anyone else here has tried this one, or other Okanagan Spirits whiskies in general? I saw they have a new hopped whisky...

Full review here:
https://youtu.be/67qWhhvysrg

Goodies from Macaloney's

Plaza SW, 410 Na'a Dr SW, Calgary, AB T3H 6A4

(403) 452-3614

Love supporting local, especially when they have a club discount

Twenty-eight-year-old Canadian whisky is a weird thing.

Not because Canada can’t make whisky that old or doesn't have it, but because most producers never let it get there. The category has traditionally been built around accessibility, blending, and consistency, not long-term aging and prestige releases.

TL;DR: Reminds me of Found North's Gold Finch. Creamy and oaky, I enjoy it, my wife hates it. hahah.

This one comes from Canadian Rockies Whisky, an independent bottler quietly sourcing and aging whisky from distilleries across Canada. While details are sparse, I’m told this release leans heavily on Alberta-distilled stock with some Ontario grain whisky in there. Bottled at 46% ABV, and the bottle is neat (same folks who created Pendleton 1910 bottle).

But age can do two very different things to whisky.

It can deepen complexity… or slowly sand away personality.

Nose:
For me soft and oaky right away. Vanilla, toffee, and brown sugar lead things off, followed by older oak and a slightly dusty sweetness that reminds me of antique furniture or old bookshops in the best possible way. There’s a bit of citrus brightness underneath it all, alongside light mint and dried hay. Nothing about it is loud, very subtle but the longer I sit with it the more that appears.

Palate:
Very elegant. Caramel, vanilla cream, soft rye spice? and gentle oak. The texture is lighter than you might expect at this age, but it works. There’s no sharpness anywhere. Instead, it slowly unfolds with layers of polished oak, faint herbal notes, and lingering sweetness.

Some people are going to interpret that subtletly as refinement. Others might wish for more intensity or concentration. Personally, I think the whisky succeeds because it leans into subtlety rather than fighting against it.

Finish:
Medium-long. Oak spice, citrus, toffee, and soft drying tannins. Quiet but persistent.

To learn more and watch my full review: https://youtu.be/oWYNf4KFoS8