The little distillery that could...did.
Family-run Okanagan Spirits is the 2025 World-Class Distillery in Worldwide Whisky, dominating the World Spirts Awards in Germany by winning a staggering 16 medals.
In a blind tasting showdown with the globe's top distilleries, Okanagan Spirits captured 11 gold medals, five silvers, and the World-Class Distillery title.
It's the second time this decade the Vernon-Kelowna distillery has snagged that honour.
"To represent Canada and claim the Worldwide Whisky designation again is a dream come true for our little family distillery," said Vernon's Tony Dyck, Okanagan Spirits president. "We’re just proud to be in the room with the world’s best.”
CEO Tyler Dyck admitted they’re still picking their jaws off the floor.
“To sweep seven whisky categories and even nab gold for Poire Williams — a spirit that’s notoriously tough to nail — it’s beyond what we could’ve imagined,” he said.
It’s not just fancy stills or magic barrels (though their team, led by Chris Burke and Francois Joubert, clearly knows their stuff). Tyler’s quick to point the spotlight elsewhere.
“Our local farmers deserve a huge shout-out," he said. "The grain and fruit we use — it’s all 100 per cent B.C.-grown. That’s the backbone of everything we do.”
From bourbon-style whisky, to single malt, rye, hopped whisky, gins, fruit liqueurs, and even Canada’s original genuine absinthe, their lineup of more than 50 products is a love letter to the Okanagan.
The awards list reads like a victory lap: golds for everything from the Laird of Fintry Single-Malt (aged in double-wood casks) to a cigar-blended whisky that sounds like it belongs in a detective novel. They even took top honours for a pear brandy that’s defined as 'the Everest of distilling.'
Silver medals for a maple-brûlée rye and a raspberry liqueur didn’t hurt either.
