It has been more than a year since Ontario’s liquor shelves suddenly became collateral damage in the Canada-U.S. trade war.
In March 2025, the LCBO stopped purchasing U.S.-made beverage alcohol and removed American products from its stores and online catalogue in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. More than 3,600 products from 35 states were affected, from California wine and American beer to some very familiar bottles behind the bar.
And as of summer 2026, the restrictions remain.
For drinkers, that has created an unusual experiment. What happens when the bourbon, vodka or rum you have automatically reached for suddenly isn’t there?
You try something else.
Fortunately, Canada makes some very good something elses.
1. Missing Bulleit Rye? Try Lot No. 40
If Bulleit was your go-to for a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, Lot No. 40 deserves a spot on the bar.
Made from 100 per cent rye grain, the Canadian whisky delivers plenty of the peppery spice that makes rye so cocktail-friendly, alongside vanilla, toffee and oak. At around $42.45 for 750 mL, it also sits comfortably in everyday-cocktail territory.
This isn’t an imitation of American rye. It’s an opportunity to remember that Canada knows a thing or two about rye whisky.
2. Missing Maker’s Mark? Try Forty Creek Barrel Select
Bourbon is arguably one of the harder categories to replace because, by definition, bourbon is an American product.
So don’t try to replicate it exactly.
Ontario-made Forty Creek Barrel Select takes things in a Canadian direction while retaining some familiar bourbon-friendly characteristics. Its grain whiskies are finished in ex-bourbon barrels and new American oak, producing a smooth whisky with plenty of richness.
It’s approachable neat, works over ice and can easily step into many of the cocktails where you previously reached for bourbon.
3. Missing Tito’s? Try Polar Ice
There is something to be said for a vodka that simply does its job.
If Tito’s Handmade Vodka was your dependable choice for Caesars, Moscow Mules and easy mixed drinks, Ontario-made Polar Ice makes a straightforward replacement.
Made from Canadian grain and water, then quadruple distilled and triple filtered, it’s clean, smooth and intentionally versatile. A 750 mL bottle currently sits around $29.95, making this one of the easier substitutions for the home bar.
And really, putting an Ontario vodka into a Caesar feels appropriately Canadian anyway.
4. Missing American Rye? Try Alberta Premium
Another reminder that Canadian whisky deserves more attention comes from Alberta Premium.
Made in Alberta from 100 per cent prairie-grown rye, it brings peppery spice together with vanilla, cinnamon, butterscotch and oak. It’s particularly well suited to Manhattans and whisky-forward cocktails.
If the disappearance of American bottles encourages someone to rediscover Canadian rye, we’ll count that as one positive side effect of an otherwise frustrating trade dispute.
5. Missing Sailor Jerry? Well… There’s a Plot Twist
This is where things get interesting.
We recently wrote about missing Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, one of our favourite easy mixing rums. Its familiar U.S.-made version, previously listed by the LCBO as originating in New Jersey, remains unavailable.
But Sailor Jerry has found a rather ingenious route back onto Ontario shelves.
The LCBO now lists a Scotland-made Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, with the same 46 per cent ABV and familiar cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, toffee and oak profile.
In other words, one of the American bottles we thought we’d lost has returned wearing a Scottish passport.
For anyone specifically looking to support Ontario distillers instead, Island Diaz Spiced Rum is worth discovering. Made in Ontario and infused with natural spices and botanicals, it’s a robust 44.4 per cent craft spirit designed for both sipping and cocktails.
The Unexpected Canadian Upside
None of this means Canadian whisky is “better” than bourbon or that Ontario drinkers should be happy about having fewer choices.
Choice is good.
But the disappearance of American alcohol has forced Canadian products into a spotlight they previously had to fight much harder to occupy.
The LCBO says Ontarians now have access to more than 4,600 Ontario-made beverages, plus almost 600 additional products made elsewhere in Canada. Between April 2025 and March 2026 alone, more than 1,000 additional Ontario-made options became available.
That’s a significant shift in what we’re drinking.
Eventually, the politics may change and bottles from Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and California may return to Ontario shelves. When they do, we’ll happily welcome back the choice.
But hopefully our home bars won’t simply go back to the way they were.
Because if the trade war has taught Ontario drinkers anything useful, it’s that sometimes losing your usual bottle is the push you need to discover what’s being made in your own backyard.
👉 Explore Ontario and Canadian spirits currently available through the LCBO: https://www.lcbo.com
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