Alberta lifts ban on American liquor imports — but local demand for U.S. booze isn't the same

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 9:39 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

The Alberta authorities has lifted its prohibition connected American liquor imports, but that doesn't needfully mean determination volition beryllium much U.S. booze landing connected shelves anytime soon.

Following the province's lifting of a three-month prohibition connected American liquor imports, provincial intoxicant regulator Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) announced connected June 6 that it volition erstwhile again judge liquor products from the United States.

WATCH | Will consumers spell backmost to American booze?

But with a 25 per cent tariff connected each American intoxicant imports, the buy-local sentiment by Canadian consumers whitethorn not beryllium going distant anytime soon.

Andrew Ferguson, proprietor of Kensington Wine Market, said that aft over two decades in the liquor business, helium hasn't seen thing similar the user backlash stemming from the Canada-U.S. commercialized war.

"If radical aren't buying American products similar they were before, they're not going to bargain them astatine a premium," helium said connected terms mark-ups owed to tariffs.

He said that his store's American liquor sales, which anterior to the commercialized warfare accounted for astir 10 per cent of business, person plummeted.

With that successful mind, Ferguson's not anxious to marque immoderate large purchases from down south.

"When there's nary certainty for america successful presumption of what our outgo is going to be, whether radical are adjacent going to privation it, it's hard to marque a decision, truthful you don't," helium said.

"If radical aren't buying them, we're not gonna restock them."

He called the lifting of the import prohibition "a non-decision successful immoderate ways," arsenic adjacent with the prohibition lifted, the 25 per cent tariff connected U.S. intoxicant imports is improbable to motivate section importers to acquisition American liquor.

"Margins successful the liquor manufacture aren't immense for either the importers oregon the retailers," said Ferguson.

"Maybe if you're Jack Daniel's, you tin spend to devour that tariff outgo and you're going to privation to astir apt person your products successful banal for Stampede," helium said. "But for a batch of the tiny and medium-sized players, it's going to beryllium excessively overmuch of a load to devour that, truthful they'll conscionable hold until this passes over."

Matt Stortz, wide manager of Cork Fine Wine, Liquor & Ale successful Calgary, said helium doesn't expect the lifting of the import prohibition to person a important interaction connected retail operations astatine his store.

He said that portion request for American liquor has noticeably dropped, U.S. products person remained connected his shelves.

"We did intermission buying American products for a mates weeks, but successful general, we transportation the products that our customers emotion from the radical that we cognize that marque bully prime things," Stortz said.

He said uncertainty remains astir what retail pricing of American liquor volition look similar with tariffs, but pointed to a caller markup connected Alberta vino prices arsenic a much contiguous contented for him.

Significant driblet successful U.S. liquor imports

Amid bans and restrictions implemented by different provinces, American liquor imports into Canada person taken a noticeable hit. 

Canada, which according to the American Association of Wine Economists was the largest export marketplace for American vino past year, has seen a 93 per cent driblet successful vino imports from the States.

Last November, U.S. vino exports to Canada were valued astatine $54 million. This April, they plummeted to $2.7 million.

U.S. liquor imports are down crossed the committee successful Canada — malt and brew imports person dropped 50 per cent since past April, portion distilled liquors are down 56 per cent, according to information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Yvonne Martinez, president of the Alberta Liquor Store Association, said the diminution could mostly beryllium attributed to different provinces specified arsenic Ontario and B.C., but that the buy-local sentiment successful Alberta has surely had an impact.

"Here successful Alberta, we decidedly spot radical moving towards Canadian products … oregon made anyplace other but the United States," she said.

She said that "from the position of the liquor industry," the province's determination to assistance the prohibition "was a bully move."

But portion stores with customers looking for American products whitethorn benefit, the buy-local question crossed the state and state remains ascendant — though it's unclear however agelong that volition last, Martinez said.

"Whether that volition alteration present that the premier made her announcement, and depending connected what happens with the United States and Canada and their commercialized talks, I tin spot them changing their caput and possibly giving [American products] different look," she said.

Province encourages buying local

While AGLC is present permitted to judge American liquor imports, the state is inactive promoting the buy-local sentiment, said Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Minister Dale Nally successful a statement.

"As always, we promote Albertans to proceed supporting section producers, adjacent arsenic much U.S. options instrumentality to store shelves," the curate said.

He said the determination to assistance the import prohibition "sets the signifier for much constructive negotiations up of a Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement renewal, perchance starring to accrued commercialized opportunities and economical maturation for Alberta."

He besides pointed to Prime Minister Mark Carney's efforts to reset the U.S. commercialized relationship, arsenic good arsenic Alberta's unsocial privatized liquor market, arsenic being factors down the decision.

"We are focused connected highlighting Alberta's relation arsenic a liable and collaborative trading spouse and volition proceed moving alongside different provinces to advocator for a tariff escaped relationship," helium said.