I just received a bottle of single malt whisky in the mail (yes, it is a wonderful world!); there were only two-hundred and sixty-four bottles in the batch, and I was fortunate enough to acquire one of them.
Before I divulge any more information, I’d like to share a slice of Okanagan history (and yes, it has something to do with the whisky…):
In 1864 John Cameron Waters was born in England, but was a Scotsman through-and-through and grew up on his family’s estate at Fintry in Scotland. He changed his name to John Cameron Dun-Waters, or J.C. Dun-Waters, after his uncle, name of Dunn, bequeathed him a great sum of money. In 1887 he married Alice, by all accounts a taciturn woman, and in 1909 he moved to Canada and bought 475 hectares of land at Shorts Point on the west side of Okanagan Lake, where he established an apple orchard. He called his estate Fintry, after his home in Scotland. It was, and still is, a scenic section of real estate, which includes a waterfall spilling over a cliff and into a pool; the water, in the guise of a creek, ambles out of the pool and down-slope until it commingles with the waters of Okanagan Lake. The waterfall is better-known as Christie Falls in Fintry Estate & Provincial Park, in Kelowna, British Columbia.
J.C. Dun-Waters was fifty years old in 1914 when WW I broke out, but he returned to England and joined the army, seeing action at Gallipoli, Turkey, where he was wounded.
After returning to Canada, and his Fintry Estate, J.C. Dun-Waters decided to bring curling to the area and he built a rink. One day, when a neighbor, Angus Gray, watched J.C. Dun-Waters proudly walking to the rink, Angus called out: “Aye, lads! Here comes Laird of Fintry.” And the name stuck.
J.C. Dun-Waters decided to have a large shipment of Scotch whisky shipped to his estate, and the whisky bottles had special Laird of Fintry labels affixed to them.
And that is the background to the name of the whisky that arrived by post today…
The first batch of Laird of Fintry Single Malt Whisky (from the Okanagan Springs Craft Distillery) consisted of only two-hundred and sixty-four bottles (small batch distilling, and probably many wee samples during the crafting), and there was a lottery for the opportunity to purchase a piece of the distillery’s history; only two-hundred and ten bottles were available to the public, and I’m the proud owner of bottle #169.
According to the distillery’s website, “The Laird of Fintry has been crafted from 100% B.C. malted barley, fermented and double-distilled in a copper-pot still. After six years of barrel ageing in French and American Oak, this Single Malt is smooth, non-peated and combines solid forest notes of toasted oak with more delicate tones of vanilla, plum, raisins, caramel and spice.”
I’m enjoying a dram right now, while listening to Brahm’s String Sextet in B-flat major (Op. 36): the whisky is a nice accompaniment to the music; pleasantly smooth, well-balanced, displaying all the fine attributes of French and American Oak. The nose is gentle, opulent — I can almost detect a sherry note that surely isn’t there (?); at first, prunes dominate the taste, soon joined by vanilla, toffee, and a hint of spice; the finish is delicate, but rich — the symphony of flavours sampled in nose and taste resonate. Quite delightful: very little alcohol burn in nose, taste, or finish (its smoothness is reminiscent of a well-crafted, triple-distilled Irish whiskey, but the depth of flavour is more akin to a single-malt from Scotland). Hats off, and a respectful bow to the craftsmen; I can hardly wait until next year’s batch (I wonder if they will soon offer a peated single malt?).
The Okanagan Spirits has other products for sale (Liqueurs, Absinthe, Marc (Grappa), etc.), and their next batch of single malt whisky will be released in 2014, when they promise to have substantially more product for public consumption.
Sláinte!
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For more information on John Cameron Dun-Waters:
db johnston
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