WARMINGTON: At LCBO stores, it's as if the U.S. doesn't exist
Some 3,600 popular American spirits and wine products have been pulled from Ontario liquor stores in response to the Trump tariffs.
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When you first see the empty shelves that normally display your favourite American alcohol products, it almost looks apocalyptic.
It is supposed to look that way. It’s meant to make a statement and the statement is loud and clear.
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WARMINGTON: At LCBO stores, it's as if the U.S. doesn't exist Back to video
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As a result of President Donald J. Trump’s 25% tariff on Canadian goods, American vineyards and distillers are now cut out of Ontario’s massive alcohol economy. Who would have ever thought there would be an American-free zone in Canada? But America-free is exactly what was experienced by anyone who walked into any of Ontario’s 677 LCBO stores on day two of Trump’s tariff war.
On Wednesday, an LCBO notice said “for the good of” Ontario and Canada, American products are “no longer available.”
The LCBO has 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 will 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 posted my first video to social-media site X on Tuesday of LCBO staffer Marlon removing Jack Daniels bottles from store shelves, it reached 200 views, quickly. As I write this, that 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 as close attention as those in Canada are with what Trump does.
Nobody wins in war.
The Governor of Kentucky, a state famous for its bourbon, appeared on the Vassy Kapelos show on Newstalk 1010 on 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 Beshear said on the Toronto radio program.
It’s difficult for all sides.
Trump’s commerce secretary Howard Lutnick was reportedly asking Ontario Premier Doug Ford to back off his tough talk in saying he will “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 Beam, Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek and every California wine off the shelves, into boxes and shipping them back to the warehouse.
The question I received from many as I was covering this on ‘Tariff Tuesday’ was whether or not the LCBO had already paid for all of those American products and, if so, what was the point of removing them from stores if the vineyards or distillers wouldn’t lose a buck.
The LCBO confirmed that these bottles are already paid for, but with no concern of the products spoiling, they can be stored and brought back out for sale whenever this trade war is over. The optics were loud and clear, however. Past sales are not 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. 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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