Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery

At 267 Bernard Avenue, a few short blocks from where the street runs out at the lake, Okanagan Spirits Craft Distillery sits in the middle of downtown Kelowna's main commercial run. Bernard is the central spine for shops, restaurants and evening foot traffic, and the waterfront parks are close enough that a stop here folds neatly into a walk along the water. The phone number is 778-484-5174 and there is more at okanaganspirits.com.

Downtown parking is the practical hurdle. Street stalls along Bernard fill through the afternoon and evening in summer, so a parkade a block or two off the avenue is often the calmer option, and the walk up from the waterfront is easy in good weather. Groups touring the valley should call ahead about numbers, since tasting rooms in this trade often handle a larger party differently from a pair of walk ins. If you are coming from the hillside neighbourhoods above the city or from further up the valley, allow for slow traffic on Highway 97 through the middle of the day.