Liquor Marts to sell last of U.S. booze set aside during boycott

Liquor Marts will hold a “last chance” sale on American wines, liqueurs and mixed drinks, as Manitoba pushes to off-load its stockpile of U.S. booze.

Premier Wab Kinew launched a provincewide boycott of American alcohol in March 2025 to fight back against tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. U.S.-made products returned to the shelves in December, but Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries has not placed new orders since the boycott began.

As of early May, the inventory had a value of roughly $3.4 million, which is roughly one-third of what was removed from shelves and placed in storage, the Crown corporation said Friday.

“Liquor Mart customers responded very positively when we first put out our remaining U.S. inventory for sale in December, but lately interest in these products is somewhat slower. That’s not surprising, as Manitobans have developed a real affinity for Canadian products over the last year,” said Robert Holmberg, executive vice-president of liquor and cannabis operations, in a statement.

“While most U.S.-made products aren’t near expiring yet, a few of the liqueurs are starting to approach the end of their retail shelf life — that’s why we’re moving them to the “last chance” section and selling them at a reduced price.”

On Monday, MLL will offer discounts on more than 120 U.S.-made white and rosé wines, liqueurs and other products. The sale will involve Liquor Marts across the province, and availability will vary by location while supplies last.

Holmberg said the Crown corporation regularly offers so-called last chance pricing on items approaching best-before dates or on products that won’t be reordered. It allows room on shelves for new products.

Minister Glen Simard, whose portfolio includes the Crown corporation, said he hopes Manitobans will continue to buy Canadian products, which have grown more popular since the boycott began.

Data from MLL show Canadian spirit sales increased by 9 per cent and Canadian wine sales are up by 12 per cent, year-over-year.

“I think it’s been great support… Manitobans are going towards Manitoban and Canadian products like they never had before. We’re really excited about that,” Simard said.

“I don’t think that we’re planning on bringing in anymore U.S. booze in the near future, and we’re just going to make sure that the product that we did have in stock is sold and not gone to waste.”

As of early May, MLL had sold a retail value of about $11.6 million worth of American alcohol.

In January, the province issued a news release announcing it had donated $6.6 million from the proceeds of that liquor sale to charities; Simard said that practice will continue until the inventory is depleted.

Reintroducing U.S.-made products to Liquor Marts in December helped avoid the waste of roughly $4 million worth of goods that would have spoiled by mid-summer 2027. Since the boycott took hold, MLL has disposed of about $287,000 (value cost) of expired alcohol.

A spokesperson for the Crown corporation said every U.S. product in the remaining inventory is being distributed.

Kinew has said the boycott is expected to take an $80-million bite annually out of the U.S. economy.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca