Canadians rush to buy stockpiles of boycotted US liquor

For many Canadians yearning to raise a glass of Tennessee whiskey or Kentucky bourbon, the wait is finally over.

- MICHAEL LEVENSON

A sign at a Vancouver, British Columbia, liquor store in February. American alcohol products were removed from store shelves in much of Canada when US tariffs against the country went into effect in March. REUTERS

(REUTERS)

At least four Canadian provinces — Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador — have decided to sell the stockpiles of American liquor that they pulled from shelves months ago in protest over President Donald Trump's tariffs. But once those bottles are gone, officials said they have no plans to buy more.

The unusual sale has led to something of a shopping frenzy, as many Canadians have rushed to buy their favourite brands of American liquor.

“There have been lines every day,” Wab Kinew, the premier of Manitoba, said in an interview Friday. The province started selling American spirits at its government-run liquor stores Wednesday. “It passes the eyeball test of there being a real phenomenon.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Jack Daniels, Bacardi and Barefoot wine are among the top sellers, he said. “Our joke was that the only thing more popular than taking US booze off the shelves was putting US booze back on the shelves,’ Mr Kinew said. “People are stocking up?”

Manitoba plans to stop selling American liquor Dec 24 and will not buy more as it continues to protest US tariffs, Mr Kinew said. “Everybody recognises the Trump administration's actions to threaten our economy are something we have to have solidarity around,” he said.