6 Popular Canadian Liquors That Might Get More Expensive

Americans drink a lot of Canadian liquor, alcohol which might become more expensive soon, thanks to President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs against Canadian imports. After nearly going into effect at the end of January, Trump paused his planned tariffs against Canadian and Mexican goods for 30 days. But the deadline is once again nearing, and consumers are once again preparing for higher prices.

Alcohol has already been affected by Trump's tariffs, even though they've yet to be enacted. In response to the threat of tariffs, several Canadian provinces pulled all American-made liquor from store shelves, including Ontario, Canada's most populous province.

If enacted, Trump's tariffs threaten to make Canadian beer more expensive for Americans to enjoy, much like the expected price hikes on Canadian liquor. And like Canadian beer, there are a number of popular Canadian liquors you may want to pick up before a potential price hike.

Crown Royal is a popular whisky brand in the United States, and a common example of Canadian whisky (spelled without the "e,") a distinct variety known for its light and gently sweet flavor. But for Crown Royal, "Canadian whisky" isn't just a descriptor or flavor guideline, because all Crown Royal is distilled and bottled in Manitoba.

Although it's known as a Canadian whisky, Crown Royal's flagship drink is actually a blend of five whiskies, each distilled separately and carefully combined to create its signature taste. Since its debut in 1939 as a gift for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, Crown Royal has gone on to become the top-selling Canadian whisky in the world.

If you've ever been to a liquor store, you may have noticed a glass bottle shaped like a large skull, sometimes multicolored, with a cork in the top of its head. This is the signature appearance of Crystal Head Vodka, an aptly-named brand co-founded by famous comedian Dan Aykroyd, who also helped design the bottle.

Although Aykroyd is perhaps best known as a legendary cast member of the New York-based sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, he is actually Canadian, as is his vodka. Crystal Head Vodka is manufactured in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador using water and corn that are also from Canada.

Crystal Head Vodka's distinguished bottle shape is primarily for looks, but it also serves a purpose. Open vodka is best stored upright to best maintain its taste, and the bottle's unique shape makes it difficult to store any other way.

Empress 1908 Gin has become an incredibly popular brand of spirits in trendy cocktail bars. And although the modern cocktail scene often focuses on big American cities like New York, Empress 1908 Gins actually come from Sidney, a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia.

The company's flagship product, Empress 1908 Indigo Gin, has a striking, deep purple color that makes it stand out on any bar, and adds some interesting color effects to cocktails. The success of Indigo Gin has seen the company expand its offerings to elderflower rose gin and cucumber lemon gin.

The unique hue of Empress 1908 Indigo Gin comes from its use of butterfly pea blossom, an ingredient the gin's inventors first encountered in a tea served at the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel, also in Victoria. The brand is thoroughly Canadian, from conception to production.

Iceberg Vodka is a unique spirit in the cocktail world, whose appeal is given away by its name. All Iceberg Vodka is made with freshwater sourced from icebergs. And, as the company is proud to advertise, it exclusively uses Canadian icebergs, which it calls "the purest source of water on the planet." 

Iceberg Vodka is not the only way that Canadian drinkers make use of icebergs. Some Canadian bars, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador, use iceberg chunks as ice for cocktails. Nor is Canada the only country to make alcohol out of sea ice, as seen by this naturally blue Japanese beer made from melted sea ice. Unlike Okhotsk Blue Draft, however, Iceberg Vodka is characteristically clear, not blue.

Yukon Jack is a popular liqueur seizing on the popularity of honey-sweetened whiskey, combining the two ingredients in a bottle that's sold at 80-proof to Canadian consumers, and 100-proof to Americans.

Yukon Jack's vulnerability to Trump's tariffs doesn't just come from its Canadian whisky base. Every drop of Yukon Jack is made in Valleyfield, a small city in Quebec south of Montreal and close to the U.S. border. And while all of the Yukon Jack sold in the United States is bottled in Connecticut, it must first be imported from Quebec.

The high proof of American Yukon Jack makes it a great choice for a snake bite shot, relying on the punch of the ethanol to deliver its namesake bite. The Canadian Yukon Jack, however, is the typical liqueur for the unique "sourtoe shot," a fleshy drink garnished with a severed human toe sometimes available at a hotel in Canada's Yukon Territory.

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky is an enduringly popular liqueur among younger drinkers and all sorts of casual party scenarios. Although the drink was invented in Canada, allegedly to help bar patrons warm up after coming in from the cold, Fireball is now made in the United States as well as Canada.

Unfortunately for American drinkers, Fireball's U.S. production doesn't necessarily mean it's safe from Trump's tariffs. Fireball is made specifically with Canadian whisky, which means that tariffs could increase the production cost of even American-made Fireball, costs which would likely be shunted onto consumers.

Fireball was once sued over allegations that it did not contain any actual whisky. While its smaller, shooter bottles — labeled "Fireball Cinnamon" — are malt-based and don't contain any whisky, larger bottles with "whisky" on the label are in fact made with Canadian whisky.