Single malt whiskey ages in oak casks at the Eau Claire Distillery in Turner Valley, Alta. If the legislation passes, Alberta’s 45 whisky producers would be allowed to use the protected term 'Alberta Whisky' on their bottles.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
As wine is to Bordeaux and bourbon is to Kentucky, when it comes to alcohol reputation is often inseparable from the place where it’s produced.
And now, Alberta wants to be synonymous with whisky.
On Tuesday, the provincial government introduced a bill that would define “Alberta Whisky” – a piece of legislation that the province hopes would make its distillers stand out in a competitive market.
“[Alberta distillers] face challenges differentiating their products from other Canadian whisky in the marketplace,” Premier Danielle Smith told reporters in Edmonton.
“We think there’s an obvious solution to this challenge: Define what Alberta whisky is and protect it in legislation.”
If the bill passes, brands that want to call themselves “Alberta Whisky” would be required to meet certain criteria: only Alberta water is to be used, and at least two-thirds of grains used in distillation must be grown in the province.
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The move is Alberta’s stab at building a reputation for its whisky that, despite the repercussions of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, is still competing with Kentucky bourbon and other popular U.S. spirits. Alberta is one of the few provinces to have lifted its ban on U.S. alcohol imports, implemented across the country in response to Mr. Trump’s actions.
Alberta’s new definition mostly mirrors the nationally legislated guidelines for Canadian whisky, but with a homespun take.
Both sets of rules require the whisky have a minimum alcohol content by volume of 40 per cent, be aged for at least three years in small wood casks and be made from start to finish in Canada – or, in Alberta’s case, inside the province.
If the legislation passes, Alberta’s 45 whisky producers would be allowed to use the protected term “Alberta Whisky” on their bottles. (“Alberta Whiskey” with an “e” is also protected.)
The new designation would be managed by Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis, the provincial regulator.
Other renowned whisky-producing regions, including Scotland and Ireland, are regulated by government to standardize the quality of their local whiskies. In Scotland, for example, Scotch whisky can only be named as such if it’s distilled in a process that meets strict criteria.
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Jordan Ramey, chief operating officer of Burwood Distillery in Calgary, said Alberta is looking at the success of Kentucky’s bourbon industry, which annually brings in more than US$10-billion of economic activity to the state of 4.6 million people, according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
“We are the breadbasket of Canada. We are the grain producers. We make wonderful whisky here, and we have been for decades. So why not us, too?” said Mr. Ramey.
Dale Nally, Alberta’s Minister of Red Tape Reduction, said the province is looking to model the industry’s growth off Kentucky’s successes.
“Kentucky is a smaller jurisdiction than Alberta, and we have better whisky,” he said.
“They started this process in the 1990s, and we’re starting it now. So, they’re a little ahead of where we are, but you know what? We’re going to get there.”
Alberta was an outlier among provinces when it lifted its ban on U.S. booze in June last year, and the province’s imports of American alcohol have since fully rebounded.
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But some liquor-store owners have said consumer preferences have changed since U.S. imports returned to shelves.
In Alberta, demand for American bourbon surged owing to demand from consumers in provinces like Ontario, where liquor bans are still in place. Meanwhile, sales of U.S. wine have languished, suggesting Canadians are continuing to boycott some products.
In another odd twist, Mr. Nally told reporters that the legislation – tabled Tuesday afternoon – was drafted with the help of artificial intelligence. Mr. Nally said the final product is a combination of “all the tools that we use at our disposal,” and the bill was reviewed by a committee before reaching the legislature.
He didn’t elaborate on what AI model the province used but said it helped analyze data. He and the Premier didn’t say whether they intend to use it in future legislation.
“We’re on page 10 of a 200-page novel, so we almost don’t know what we don’t know,” said Mr. Nally. “And so, for us, this was a learning exercise.”