Review: Laird of Fintry Single Malt   83.5/100
Review by Chip Dykstra
Published August 05, 2022

Laird of Fintry Single Malt is produced in small batches at the Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery. This whisky came to my attention when I was acting as a juror for the 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards. I ear marked my blind sample (No. 28 by the way) as one which stood out in its grouping and after the judging was complete and the whiskies were unblinded, I decided I should take the remainder of my sample and write up more detailed tasting notes. I was not surprised that Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery was named 2022 Canadian Whisky Awards Craft Distillery of the Year based on the strength of this and the other whiskies in their growing portfolio.

Laird of Fintry Single Malt  is a bit of a unicorn. The spirit is available only once per year via a lottery drawing at the Distillery. It is produced using 100% B.C. malted barley and aged in both French and American Oak casks.

According to the distillery:

‘The Laird of Fintry’ title is based on the true story of James Cameron Dun-Waters, the ‘Laird’ of Fintry estates in Fintry, BC, who in the early 1900s ordered a special batch of personally labelled Single Malt Whisky (Scotch) from his homeland Scotland.

The Single Malt Whisky from Okanagan Spirits is bottled at 42% abv.

In The Bottle 4/5

Laird of Fintry Single Malt is sold in the squat bottle to the left. The cylindrical bottle is fine with what appears to be a heavy glass base for stability, and a medium long neck made for easy pouring. The label is a bit simplistic, we could even say uninspiring, but as this is a bottling which sells out quickly via the lottery each year, I sort of agree with the idea that we don’t need to fancy things up  and add to the cost of the whisky.

In The Glass  8.5/10

Colour:  Straw

Nose:  Heather, meadow grass and flowers, willow with a light sweetness riding the wind currents.  Mint, hints of vanilla and almond.

The scents and smells are pleasant and engaging with a lightly herbal character accented by floral impressions. I like the nose which demonstrates nuance and finesse,

In The Glass 50/60

The first sip brings me impressions of sandal wood and fine oak spice with somewhat grassy/herbal undertones and impressions of willow bark. There is a mild butterscotch sweetness combined with a light winding almond flavour and zesty orange peel adding a bit of spiciness.

The whisky remains very approachable although some will certainly notice some youthful brashness which has not yet been tempered by the oak barrels.

In the Throat 12.5/15

The light bodied whisky finishes somewhat short with flavours menthol and herbal grasses in the exit. Mojito mint is suggested. An ebbing sweetness of butterscotch in the finale adds to the whisky’s charm.

The Afterburn  8.5/10

Laird of Fintry Single Malt shows exceptional promise as the herbal flavour of the whisky really shines through without becoming overbearing.  The whisky is mellow rather than in your face, and discovering the nuances within the dram is delightful.  This is a whisky which can be sipped neat or with ice, but which more likely should be served in a fine cocktail such as the one shown below.

You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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Suggested Recipes

Laird of the Fintry Cocktail

2 oz  Laird of the Fintry Single Malt Whisky
1/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Lime Juice
Dash of Fees Barrel aged Cocktail Bitters
1/2 oz Sugar Syrup (1:1 ratio)
Ice
Lemon Peel

Chill a small cocktail glass until it is very cold.
Place the five ingredients into a metal shaker with cracked ice.
Shake until the outside of the metal shaker begins to frost.
Strain into the chilled cocktail glass.
Garnish with a twist of lemon peel

Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)