Alberta Spirits Stuck at Home | Canada News

It’s baffling how Alberta’s top distillers and brewers can ship their booze to Japan or the U.S. with ease—but struggle to crack Ontario or B.C. markets, facing markups of 140% and crushing fees. The LCBO forces ultra-low wholesale prices, leaving producers stuck selling for pennies, while Alberta shelves thousands of Ontario and B.C. labels but barely sees its own brands on shelves. Alberta’s Minister Dale Nally calls it a dead end, noting Alberta-made products hold just 1% of Ontario’s market despite 15% of Alberta’s booze being Ontario-made. One distiller calls Ontario’s process “horrifically painful,” and B.C.’s taxes “taxed into oblivion.” Historical trade wars like the B.C. wine embargo yielded no real wins for Alberta. So, many are turning to global markets where their quality is celebrated—and Alberta’s even pushing its own whisky act to boost exports. For now, the easiest path? Selling abroad, not to your neighbors. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/ba092c38ce01c20f