British Columbia’s Attorney General says the liquor laws that led to raids at whisky bars around the province earlier this month should be changed, and he’s inviting such establishments to submit comments to the province about what those changes should look like.
“Bars or restaurants that specialize in exotic products that they can’t get through the public wholesaler should be able to access that kind of product legally,” Attorney General David Eby told reporters. “But that is an issue of law reform and that law reform hasn’t happened yet.”
Three bars on Vancouver Island and one in the City of Vancouver were raided on the same day a few weeks ago. In each case, bottles of rare whisky were seized. The Grand Hotel in Nanaimo had 11 bottles taken, while Fets Whisky Kitchen on Commercial Drive reported 200 bottles worth roughly $40,000 had been seized.
The bottles in question were acquired through the Scotch Malt Whisky society, not through the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch, which is illegal.
Eby says an expert on alcohol policy is now reviewing the law, and he welcomes submissions from bars and restaurants on policy changes they would like to see.
