Tony Dyck

“The Quiet Leader”

Tony Dyck’s story reads like a slow, careful distillation: an extraction of persistence, family, and a stubborn belief that oak, grain, and place can be coaxed into something exceptional. He is the patriarch of Okanagan Spirits, the Vernon and Kelowna, British Columbia-based craft distillery that began as a local idea and grew, over two decades, into one of Canada’s most internationally awarded small producers. Tony’s presence on the floor, his exceptional palate, and the way the family excitedly talks about “farm to flask” have become as much a part of the company’s brand as its bottles of whisky.

Born February 20, 1945, the now-80-year-old Tony stepped into the spotlight not as a career distiller but as an interesting man who saw an opportunity to help his community. Okanagan Spirits was founded in 2004 by a group of like-minded investors led by Tony, and in the years that followed, the Dyck family bought out the original partners and made the business wholly family-owned. That decision shifted the company’s trajectory: it became a hands-on, multigenerational operation in which Tony’s work ethic and insistence on local sourcing shaped everything from product lines to the decision to operate two independent distillery locations.

Family has always been central. Tony and his wife Pat live in Vernon; their daughter Melissa and two granddaughters also live there, while sons Tyler and Jeremie live in Kelowna with their families. Tyler has long worked alongside his father and has gone on to become CEO of the company. The Dycks are proud of the distillery’s mission to support local farmers and build a craft spirits culture in British Columbia, undertakings that began with Tony’s insistence.

The early, quieter years of Okanagan Spirits were very much a local, practical project. Tony and his partners wanted to prove that BC fruit and grain could be the base for world-class spirits, not merely bulk ingredients for someone else’s bottles. From the firm determination to avoid artificial flavoring, coloring, or essences to the choice of two operating sites, the company’s decisions have been rooted in that initial belief. Over time, the product line has now grown to more than forty spirits, including multiple whiskey offerings, with both single-malt and bourbon-style releases.

Tony’s steady direction shows up in the distillery’s public voice: pride in awards and in the local supply chain, but also a team-oriented gratitude when recognition inevitably arrives. Under the family’s ownership, Okanagan Spirits has been recognized repeatedly on the international stage. In March 2025, the distillery swept numerous categories at the World Spirits Awards, earning multiple golds and silver medals and the distinction of being named a world-class distillery, an achievement that Tony and Tyler publicly celebrated as vindication of their farm-to-flask approach. The awards are not just shelf-ornaments; in the family’s telling, they validate relationships with local farmers and the craft distilling team that the Dycks have assembled.

Anecdotes about Tony’s approach to business are practical rather than grand. Family members and colleagues describe a man who insists on knowing suppliers by name and who treats the tasting room as an honest interface with customers. It is there that he listens, explains, and corrects misconceptions about what makes a spirit truly “craft,” as well as educates visitors about Canadian whisky.