Are Crown Royal And Fireball Banned? Why They’re Getting Harder To Find

You probably don’t think much about where your favorite snacks and beverage come from. In our global economy, we tend to take the availability of our favorites for granted. You can buy a banana any time of the year, for example. And there are some shelf staples, like alcohol, that just feel like American tradition. But many of our favorites originate from outside of the U.S. and some savvy shoppers might have noticed that some have been missing from store shelves, namely booze like Crown Royal and Fireball. And according to the most recent executive order, we’re about to actually ban some of our favorite Canadian food and drink. So what does that mean for our buzz?

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Who Knew We Drank So Much Canadian Booze?

Yes, you probably have favorite Canadian foods and drinks. And on September 29th, per the most recent U.S. move in this ongoing trade war, a lot of it’s gonna be banned from import into the country―everything from liquor to dairy to whey protein (yep, that stuff we’re heavily reliant on in this protein- and gains-oriented era). 

Actually maybe you’ve already noticed price hikes in some of your favorite whiskies, cheeses, protein-packed products, etc. The recent order actually crowns an almost-years-long trade war (you can check out a good timeline here) that began with promises of border protection and ended up with things like major U.S. tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel and radical Canadian boycotts of American-made booze. (American distillers have actually borne a huge brunt of a lot of the trade war.) Our most recent crazy move was a massive, 50% tariff on everything “from honey to hockey sticks” in July of this year. Canada responded “dollar for dollar” with a 50% tariff on tons American goods, including cheeses. Our next move? This ban.

What Canadian Products Will Be Impacted? 

Yes, things like Crown Royal and Fireball are both Canadian―but you don’t have to stocking up apocalypse-style just yet. First off, savvy U.S.-based retailers are already thinking about how to navigate the changes, e.g. stocking up on cheaper cinnamon-liqueurs. But there’s also wiggle room in the verbiage of the order which allows for bulk alcohol to be imported if it’s shipped in quantities under 4 Liters (about 1 U.S. gallon). Brass tacks: Crown Royal is likely to go unimpacted, but Fireball might suffer some hiccups and/or price hikes due to its production chain. 

Your “Canadian Wine and Cheese” night might have to be suspended, though. Things like specialty cheeses and oils will still be subject to the 50% tariffs, making any of those gourmet products much more expensive―if they even reach our shelves. And what won’t be on any U.S. shelves starting on September 29th: basically all packaged Canadian beer, wine, cider, ice wines, whiskey, gin, rum, even NA beer. The categories are broad, but it’s packaged or bottled/canned in Canada, it won’t be crossing the border. Neither will things like industrial-scale dairy products, whey protein concentrate in all its forms, and even molasses. And while we won’t literally see their absence on our shelves, it’s a fair bet our wallets will feel it.