5 Canadian Liquors You May Want To Stock Up On

The whole concept of tariffs was something we once snoozed through in high school economics class, but now it seems to loom larger every day. It's not only something that'll impact the economy as a whole but is likely to have a direct impact on every American consumer. It seems that products coming from Canada may soon need to pay a 25% tariff in order to be sold in U.S. markets, and yes, that is going to impact the price of booze as well as imported Canadian food products including chocolate, cranberries, and maple syrup. (Mexico faces a similar tariff that's also likely to have a significant impact on food prices.)

When manufacturers have to pay additional costs for raw materials, labor, or transportation, they seldom hesitate to pass the cost on to the consumer, so we've little reason to doubt that tariffs will result in higher prices on Canadian imports. Economists are expecting a 10% price hike on Canadian whiskey, which sounds better than 25% but still hurts. 

There's also a chance that some suppliers may decide they'd rather not pay the tariffs and keep their products in Canada (to be fair, we're speculating on this one). With these dire predictions in mind, now is the time to buy if you're a fan of any of the following spirits (some of which you may not even have known were Canadian). The tariffs are currently set to go into effect on March 4, 2025, so if you procrastinate, you'll likely have to pay the price (literally).

Canadian whiskey is arguably one of the foods (beverages?) Canada does better than the U.S., at least if you're not a die-hard bourbon fan. While there are numerous distilleries, the best-known is the regally-named Crown Royal. This super-smooth whiskey dates back to 1939, when it was created to commemorate a visit from George VI. The king received his bottle in a purple cloth bag, which is something the brand subsequently adopted as a trademark. On a less majestic note, Crown Royal features prominently in a cocktail called the Duck Fart which is said to be Alaska's most popular holiday drink.

Crown Royal, which comes in flavors like blackberry, apple, and salted caramel as well as the standard variety, may currently be purchased for under $30 a bottle. Price hikes, however, might put it closer to the $35 or $40 range, depending on how high the proposed tariffs push things. Since unopened whiskey can last forever and a day (even opened whiskey stays good for a year or so), there's no reason not to hoard as many bottles as you can afford.

Did you know that Fireball was a Canadian product? Well, it is. In fact, for nearly 20 years it was only available in Canada. It was first imported to the U.S. around the turn of the millennium, then became super-popular in the 20-teens. So ubiquitous is Fireball by now that you can buy the stuff practically everywhere... or some version of it, at any rate. It turns out that gas station Fireball is a malt liquor variant made without whiskey which may be a testament to a cinnamon flavor so strong it could (almost) mask the difference between the spinoff and the real stuff.

Fireball is something people typically drink as a shot, either on its own or mixed with other ingredients as in the beerless mini beer shots made by topping it with heavy cream. It's also quite tasty in spiked hot chocolate (try it in our Abuelita's Surprise). If you purchase it now, you might be able to pay under $15 per bottle for the standard 750-milliliter size. If you wait, however, be prepared either to cough up more money or settle for a different brand of cinnamon whiskey.

Yukon Jack, like Fireball, is meant to appeal to drinkers with a serious sweet tooth. Sugary as it is, even though it's considered a liqueur it's much stronger than most since it comes in at 100 proof. (Typical liqueurs top out around 60 proof.) For the Canadian market, it's blended at 80 proof (as an fyi).

Some have compared this honey-sweetened liqueur to Southern Comfort while others say it resembles Drambuie or Irish Mist. Mixed with lime juice, it makes a shot called the Snakebite. In fact, the distillers now produce a Snakebite-flavored version, along with fire (cinnamon), apple, and honey variants. (With this last-named one, we assume they mean extra honey since the original, too, has a honey flavor.) Yukon Jack currently runs a little over $20 per bottle, so if you have a fondness for the stuff you might want to pick up a few bottles in as many flavors as you can find before supplies grow short or prices jump up a couple bucks.

This entry is the real shocker of the bunch –- who'd have guessed that a coconut-flavored, rum-based liqueur named Malibu would be a Canadian product? And yet, such is the case. This multinational drink was actually created by the same British beverage executive who came up with Bailey's Irish Cream. The coconuts may come from the Philippines, but Malibu Rum is produced in Canada.

Currently Malibu, which comes in peach, passion fruit, pineapple, strawberry, and watermelon varieties as well as the original flavor, can be purchased for around $16 or $17 per bottle. Even though a certain amount of production takes place in the U.S. and some in Spain, you should prepare for higher prices for the foreseeable future. This is because it will take some time to implement any changes even if the brand does decide to shift the bulk of its manufacturing to a non-tariffed country. (Which wouldn't be Spain, since the already-in-existence tariffs on European Union countries may be next on deck for an increase.) 

Although Canada may be synonymous with whiskey to those of us south of the Great Lakes, vodka is actually the country's best-selling booze. While Canadian vodka brands may not be as well-known in the U.S. as are The Netherlands' Ketel One, Sweden's Svedka, or France's Gray Goose, there's one in particular that's worth getting to know before the tariffs take place: High Stick, which is (or should be) the official vodka of hockey fans everywhere.

Make no mistake, High Stick isn't a novelty item, it's a high-quality vodka. It has won a number of awards and made a pretty good showing at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Still, its real claim to fame might be the fact that it sells its vodka in a glass bottle shaped like a hockey stick and has even produced a selection of display racks specifically for these collectibles. Sadly, these products appear to be sold out at present, but the standard bottle has an oh-so-Canadian logo featuring a hockey player inside a maple leaf. It's currently selling for around $68 (up from $35 three years ago), which ain't cheap, but it's less expensive now than it will be this time next month if the tariffs take effect.