Distillery to stop making vodka jugs

Alberta minister said low price ‘not very responsible’

A distillery is halting production of discount four-litre vodka jugs after the Alberta minister responsible for the province’s liquor industry called out the product for not being responsibly priced.

T-Rex Distillery says public response has been mixed since photos of the jugs began circulating on social media, with about half praising the jugs for “innovation and convenience.”

Others expressed concern, including Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally, who says the low $49.95 price was “not very responsible” and that he was looking at intervening.

The Edmonton-area distillery says the jugs are a private-label product produced and bottled for a customer, Super Value Liquor, at its requested price.

Under current rules, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis sets the wholesale price retailers must pay to purchase products, but TRex says there are no rules or guidelines provided by the agency as to how a product should be priced on shelves.

Federal laws regulate alcohol labelling and packaging across Canada, and Nally says the jugs are in compliance.

“What it’s not in compliance with is the spirit of Albertans,” he said. “We believe in responsible pricing, and that’s where I think it goes afoul.”

Nally’s ministry did not immediately clarify what specific steps the government might take on pricing.

The plastic jugs, which are similar to four-litre milk containers, have plain labels with the words “value” and “vodka” over a yellow background.

Sunny Bhullar, manager at Edmonton Super Value Liquor, said his store discounted the jugs down from $60.

“We make sure we are serving our customers in a responsible way,” said Bhullar.

He said the store aims to provide quality products for consumers looking to buy bulk and save money.

“Our marketing approach is we sell at a fair price,” he said.

Should Nally introduce minimum prices or a floor price, Bhullar said he would be concerned.

“In that scenario, it will be hard for independent stores to compete with the bigger chains,” he said.

T-Rex said in an email its vodka jugs have been for sale for about a year. It also offers a T-Rex-branded version of the jug, primarily for wholesale purposes, such as for bars and restaurants.

The company said the vodka jugs were reviewed and approved by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis and, as of Monday, T-Rex had not received any communications from the agency, the government or the minister.

“Albertan craft distilleries have suffered from a lack of responsible pricing for a while now and, in fact, there are multiple distilleries out there that are selling their spirits even cheaper than T-Rex,” the company said.

“We have often voiced our concerns with the current system to AGLC.”