A Kelowna distillery says the U.S.-Canada trade war has increased interest in Canadian whisky, even as limited barrel supply caps production.
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Okanagan Spirits in Kelowna says it has received more than 42,000 entries for a lottery tied to its limited-run single-malt whisky, underscoring how shifting cross-border trade conditions are affecting what some Canadians buy.
The company says it will release 5,000 bottles of Laird of Fintry whisky through a draw, positioning the purchase opportunity as a departure from typical “lottery” expectations where the prize is access to a bottle rather than cash.
Wyatt Cooper-Brown, the manager of Okanagan Spirits’ Kelowna location, said the distillery has seen increased sales as more people look to homegrown spirits amid the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war.
He described the impact as a mixed outcome, saying the trade war has been “almost a silver lining” for the business because of a “massive increase” in sales, while also noting that overall conditions remain difficult for suppliers and retailers.
Cooper-Brown said the renewed attention has been especially strong for its bourbon-style whisky, with more customers coming to other products as well.
The shift in buying habits is also reflected beyond the distillery. A recent TD survey found 79 per cent of Canadians plan to support local or Canadian businesses, and 48 per cent said prioritizing Canadian businesses is more important than it was last summer.
For some residents, trade tensions are changing spending decisions at the store. The report includes comments from Kelowna-area residents who said buying Canadian products is a way to support the country and to be more deliberate about checking where goods are made.
Okanagan Spirits is not only dealing with demand, but with production constraints. Cooper-Brown said the company cannot simply scale up production immediately, because its Laird of Fintry whisky is finished in specialized wine barrels from local wineries.
The distillery has said it is limited by the availability of those barrels, which gives the whisky its flavour profile but also restricts how quickly more bottles can be produced, even if customers are actively seeking Canadian spirits.
The episode highlights how trade disputes can ripple into consumer choices in B.C., with local producers benefiting from increased visibility—while still confronting supply-chain realities that limit how much the market surge can translate into additional output.
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