Okanagan Spirits 1Malt Single Malt Whisky (40%)
(This is the first in a series of occasional reviews of notable whiskies from British Columbia, presented as a lead-up to my story about BC single malt whisky for the winter issue of Full Pour magazine. Subscribe now.)
I imagine the first question on the mind of whisky aficionados would be how does this differ from the distillery’s long-standing and much-vaunted laird of Fintry Single malt, and the surface answer to that question is simple: It doesn’t. But then again, it also does.
1Malt is a five year old single malt whisky, distilled from BC barley and aged in virgin use, toasted, and charred white oak barrels. And so is the Laird. Where the difference arises, however, is that the Laird is then transferred to second use oak for six months further, with this year’s edition finished in Fortified Foch – ie: red wine – barrels from the Quail’s Gate Estate Winery. So instead of the fruity notes that one finds in the aroma of the Laird, this a drier, vanilla-forward aroma that layers tanned leather upon dry caramel upon golden raisins and dried white currants.
Moving along to the flavour of the malt, as in its aroma 1Malt exudes vanilla on the palate, particularly so up front, with the entry being gently sweet and caramelly, with just a hint of apricot sitting behind the vanilla and caramel. The mid-palate is just off-dry, continuing with the vanilla, but growing in complexity through the addition of mild and floral grain notes, charred and foresty oakiness, a hint of resinous herbs, slight notes of petrol, and an interesting touch of smokiness arising before the dry, slightly black peppery finish.
My initial reaction to this whisky is that it deserves a place at the dinner table, as I can see it easily pairing with roast pork, roasted root vegetables, and even turkey. My second thought is that, as good as this is right now, I would hope that the distillery has left some in the barrel, as I would love to taste it again in three to five years when the flavours will have settled into a more mature complexity.
84 ($75)
