Canada is facing an alcohol shortage before vacation due to supply chain issues. Due to this situation, liquor authorities in some states are urging customers to shop early or prepare to try new liquors.
According to supply chain experts, tight inventory is due to production, transportation and demand issues.
However, with many of the backlogs affecting imported liquor, Canadian wineries, distilleries and breweries are encouraging people to buy locally.
“Our food depot is full,” said Carolyn Hurst, chairman of the Ontario Craft Winery and co-owner of Westcott Vineyards. “Every winery in Ontario has a lot of products and ships every day. There is no problem keeping the products on the shelves.”
Imported alcohol is another story.
Some types of liquor are completely in stock, while others are missing or completely out of stock.
Part of the problem is production. Bad weather, such as fires and droughts, affects crops in some wine-growing areas.
Labor shortages have also reduced the production of alcohol, especially varieties that rely on manual labor.
Production is also stagnant due to a shortage of packaging materials such as bottles, screw caps and cans.
“Changes in consumer demand, availability of raw materials such as glass and aluminum, and tough growth conditions in some parts of the world such as France and New Zealand have affected production schedules for some vendors. “Nick Nanos, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Liquors, said. The Ontario Steering Committee said in a recent statement.
“Early this year, we encourage you to buy gifts and your favorite holiday season’s best selections, choose flexibly and take advantage of the opportunity to try new things.”
On the other hand, transportation issues are also affecting the availability of liquor.
Global container shortages, port congestion, and blank voyages when cargo ships skip or cancel ports of call all contribute to inventory backlogs.
Saival Rey, an expert and professor of supply chain management at McGill University’s Ben Sadun Retail School, said:
“Transporting wine is even more problematic because it requires temperature controlled containers.”
Even after imported liquor arrived in Canada, the British Columbia floods restrained road transport along major trade routes, with particular impact on Australian and New Zealand wines.
On the other hand, the pandemic-fueled increase in demand has only exacerbated the industry’s transportation and production challenges.
According to a survey published last month in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, alcohol sales surged during a pandemic.
According to a study, Canada’s alcohol sales exceeded the pre-pandemic estimate by 5.5%, or $ 1.86 billion, in the 16 months of the pandemic.
An example of an unexpected increase in demand was the sale of champagne in New Brunswick.
In the second half of the pandemic, the state saw an unexpected surge in sales of champagne and sparkling wine, according to New Brunswick spokeswoman Marie Andrie Boldack.
“Unfortunately, this unprecedented increase in demand could lead to the loss of some of the most popular champagnes for Christmas,” she said in an email.
French brands Veuve Clicquot and Moët & Chandon will be hard to come by in the state, Boldac said.
Due to the increase in alcohol sales during the pandemic era and the surge in sales on regular holidays, some products may be on the shelves.
In Nova Scotia, liquor shelves are already short of champagne, scotch, whiskey produced in the United States, and some wines from New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.
BeverleyWare, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Liquor Corp, said: purchase. “
Some products aren’t available at all, but in other cases it may be as easy as recommending a different package size, she said. It’s a can, not a bottle or a 12-pack, not a 6-pack.
Saskatchewan is also experiencing alcohol supply chain issues, but the availability of the top 500 products sold in the state remains high at 96%, said David Morris, spokesman for the Saskatchewan Liquor Games Department. I am saying.
“The main impact was on products imported from Vancouver’s ports,” he said in an email, stating that wines from Australia, New Zealand and South American countries were the most affected.
“Although there are some products that are currently affected, customers shopping at both private and public retail stores throughout the state will continue to have access to a variety of beverage alcohol products throughout the busy holiday season. “
Along Brett Bandale
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