More than 50 U.S. alcohol brands will soon vanish from Sask. shelves

Familiar American alcohol brands like Bud Light, White Claw, and Twisted Tea won’t be on Saskatchewan liquor store shelves for much longer.

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) has released a list of more than 50 American alcohol brands it won’t be purchasing in retaliation against the threat of tariffs from the United States.

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More than 50 brands will vanish from shelves once the existing stock is bought by customers. (Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority)

“In order to have more impact with the tariffs we are currently facing, we made the decision to stop ordering all of those brands,” said Alana Ross, the minister responsible for the SLGA.

The decision to stop stocking American liquor in Saskatchewan came after the United States temporarily imposed on a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods at the beginning of March. The across-the-board tariffs were put on hold, but the U.S. later imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, which remain in effect.

Orders for brands like Coors, Kirkland, and Vizzy will be put on ice once the existing stock has been sold.

Ross said the extra room in fridges could make way for more Canadian products.

“There’s all kinds of brand out there,” she said. “There’s many Canadian brands. There’s many Saskatchewan brands. There’s always the possibility of substituting the American brands with our locally produced brands of alcohol.”

Vizzy seltzers are among the products that won’t be ordered by the SLGA. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

–with files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick