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With Russian booze pulled from Alberta shelves, local distilleries look to fill the void

AGLC will not accept new Russian-made liquor products and will not sell any current stock to retailers

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As Russian vodka is being pulled from liquor store shelves across Canada, local distilleries could be tapped by bars and retailers to help meet demand.

The provincial alcohol regulator, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC), announced Sunday it will not accept new Russian-made liquor products and will not sell any current stock to retailers due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

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“When you have industry norms that haven’t really been challenged for a long time, it’s not until a crisis happens like this when we start really looking at, ‘Hey, what brands can we replace this with?’ ” said Kevin Tam of Sculpture Hospitality, who helps about 30 bars in southern Alberta with purchasing and inventory management.

In total, AGLC pulled 33 products from eight brands — Baltika 7 beer and spirits from Russian Standard, Beluga, Green Mark, JJ Whitley, Moskovskaya, Vodka Tundra and Ruskova. The largest of those brands is Russian Standard, owned by Russian billionaire Roustam Tariko.

Alberta-based liquor store conglomerate Alcanna removed all Russian-made products from its Liquor Depot, Ace, and Wine and Beyond locations, telling Postmedia in an emailed statement: “There has been some confusion amongst members of the public as to what products are actually Russian.”

That confusion is largely name-based and has prompted some establishments to reconsider offering other Russian-branded products, even if they’re not Russian-produced.

Typically, the well — the cheapest and often most-served liquors at bars — is filled with Russian-named spirits such as Smirnoff and Stolichnaya. Though the two brands no longer have any official Russian ties besides their origin stories and their names — Stolichnaya is made in Latvia and Smirnoff is produced by British spirits giant Diageo — some may still avoid them in their liquor orders this week, instead eyeing local distilleries to meet demand.

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“For a long time, (local) brands have never really gotten mainstream acceptance by bar owners,” said Tam.

He said the AGLC announcement is likely to prompt more bars to replace the commonly seen Russian names with locally bottled spirits that are similar in price and quality. He said larger local producers such as Alberta Distillers and Highwood Distillers could see a slight bump in orders, but Highwood’s national sales manager, Sheldon Hyra, said it’s unlikely to have a meaningful effect on business.

“We’re always willing to fill the void, but there’s not a lot of Russian products. There are products with Russian names, but not necessarily from Russia,” said Hyra.

But craft distilleries in the Calgary area say they are expecting a boost in sales and are welcoming the opportunity to play a part in Canada’s stand against Russia.

“I think we are all citizens in this world and are pretty pissed off with what Mr. Putin has done,” said Mike Stanfield of Calgary’s Starr Distilling.

“Forget whether it’s good for business or not, I think it’s nice to see any part of our society do what they can to register our dissatisfaction with what we’re seeing.”

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Susan Ransom, owner of Cochrane’s Krang Spirits, echoed Stanfield’s sentiment but said the boon to distillers, however small it may end up being, is much needed.

“Let’s face it, the small distillers have been struggling through COVID and even though we weren’t forced to shut down quite the same way as restaurants . . . small business in this country has been struggling,” said Ransom.

“Anything that would improve our sales, regardless of the reason, that increase in sales is good for the industry here and so we’re behind it.”

Another Calgary-based distillery, Buckle Vodka, is expecting more business due to Alberta’s liquor sanction on Russia, but its owner hopes it helps local pubs see the long-term value of doing business with local distilleries, breweries and other producers.

“Alberta-made products are better than the stuff that’s being imported into Alberta,” said Grant Doyle.

“When you, as a bar or restaurant, are yelling out ‘support local’ and you’re selling a Russian vodka, that doesn’t really help you.”

Canada imported $4.8 million worth of alcoholic beverages from Russia in 2021, according to Statistics Canada.

mrodriguez@postmedia.com

Twitter: @michaelrdrguez

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