THAT’S THE SPIRIT
At LCBO stores, it’s as if the U.S. doesn’t exist
When you first see the empty shelves that normally display your favourite American alcohol products, it almost looks apocalyptic.
It’s supposed to look that way.
It’s meant to make a statement and the statement is loud and clear.
As a result of President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on Canadian goods, American vineyards and distillers are now cut out of Ontario’s massive alcohol economy. Who’d have ever thought there’d be an American-free zone in Canada? But American –free is exactly what was experienced by anyone who walked into any of Ontario’s 677 LCBO stores on Day 2 of Trump’s tariff war.
Last Wednesday, an LCBO notice said that, “for the good of” Ontario and Canada, American products are “no longer available.”
The LCBO also issued a news release saying it “has ceased the purchase of all U.S. products, retail customers are no longer able to purchase U.S. products on lcbo.com and the LCBO app, and wholesale customers, including grocery and convenience stores, bars, restaurants and other retailers, are no longer able to place orders of U.S. products online,” and “spirits , wine, cider, beer, ready-to-drink coolers/cocktails and non-alcoholic products produced in the U.S. will no longer be available in our retail stores or LCBO Convenience Outlets.”
In these provincially owned stores, what you’ll find are products of Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Japan, Chile, Scotland, Ireland, France and just about everywhere else in the world. But nothing any more from the United States.
As surreal as it is, it’s as though America has been erased here.
“LCBO is the importer of record for all U.S. alcohol products into Ontario, with annual sales of up to $965 million,” the news release said. “We currently list more than 3,600 products from 35 U.S. states. U.S. products will not be purchased by LCBO until the LCBO is directed to resume normal business.
And make no mistake, the Americans have noticed.
When I noticed a video on X last Tuesday morning of staffer Marlon removing Jack Daniels bottles from store shelves, it quickly reached 200 views. The following day, that same video clip was closing in on 10 million views having been picked up by the Libs Of TikTok X account. And millions upon millions of other accounts.
People can mock it all they want. Americans who live in towns where they produce this stuff are going to be paying close attention as those in Canada are with what Trump does.
Nobody wins in a war.
The governor of Kentucky, a state famous for its bourbon, appeared on the Vassy Kapelos show on Newstalk 1010 last Wednesday, saying that, while his state supported Trump for president in November, it didn’t support this.
“It is going to be incredibly difficult and challenging for our people,” Democratic Gov. Andy Beshar said on the Toronto radio program.
Trump’s commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, reportedly asked Ontario Premier Doug Ford to back off his tough talk in saying he’ll “fight to the death” and that all of this tariff madness is “on one man.”
Ford told him, no, he wouldn’t be backing off. The premier, recently re-elected with a new mandate, also sent a message stateside with the photo opportunity. Widely covered by Canadian media, the moment captured LCBO staff members ripping bottles of Jim Bean, Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek and every California wine off the shelves, into boxes and shipping them back to the warehouse.
If your questioning why the LCBO would be pulling American products off of the shelves if the product has been paid for and American distillers and vineyards already have their money? Well, according to government sources, the product was purchased on consignment so the LCBO does not pay for anything that has not been sold and there is no concern with the product spoiling so the product can be stored and brought back out for sale whenever the trade was is over.
The optics are loud and clear – Past sales aren’t as important to any company as are future sales.
Right now in Ontario, which spends almost $1 billion annually on American spirits and wine, there are no American brands for sale.
What there is, is more Ontario and more Canadian. In fact, in many LCBOs, there is now Canadian whisky on the shelf space previously occupied by American bourbon: Forty Creek, Collingwood Double Barreled Whisky, Wayne Gretzky No. 99 Double Oaked or Red Cask whisky, Crown Royal Reserve, Gibson’s Finest and Alberta Premium were all displayed prominently.
These are all very good products.
It was cool to see so many bottles of Newfoundland’s glacial water Crystal Head Vodka, created by Canadian movie legend Dan Aykroyd, moving off the shelves. This is also a good time to consider trying new Canadian wines and distilleries like Saskatchewan’s Sperling Silver Distillery or Nova Scotia’s Ironworks Distillery.
As politicians battle, American hooch is in the warehouse while Canadian products are on full display.
It’s their time to shine – with no stiff American competition and a public motivated to shop Canadian.
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