Nova Scotia to sell off remaining $14M worth of American booze

Nova Scotia·NewNova Scotians who have been missing their favourite California Cabernet or Tennessee whisky will soon have a chance to stock up. The provincial government has announced it will sell off its remaining inventory of U.S. alcohol — roughly $14 million worth. Net profit of $4M will go to Feed Nova Scotia, other community food groupsAly Thomson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2025 9:59 AM EST | Last Updated: 28 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Two NSLC employees are shown removing American wine from the shelves at the Bayers Lake location in Halifax on Feb. 5, 2025, in what turned out to be a dry run for the eventual removal of all U.S. alcohol. (NSLC)Nova Scotians who have been missing their favourite California Cabernet or Tennessee whisky will soon have a chance to stock up. The provincial government has announced it will sell off its remaining inventory of U.S. alcohol — roughly $14 million worth. The net profits — about $4 million — will be given to Feed Nova Scotia and other community food groups, a news release said. Nova Scotia pulled all U.S. alcohol products from NSLC shelves on March 4 in response to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.Premier Tim Houston said the province will not be ordering any more from the U.S. once the inventory is sold off.“We remain committed to a Team Canada approach to tariffs and trade,” Houston said in the release.“Nova Scotians have already paid for this product. We don’t want it to go to waste. That’s why we’re selling it and using the proceeds to help those in need.”Wine, whiskyThe inventory consists mainly of wine and spirits such as whisky. It will be available at NSLC locations across the province starting Monday, and will likely take several months to sell, the release said.It said $4 million is the estimated amount the NSLC would return to the province once the product is sold and expenses are calculated. That amount will be given in the coming weeks to Feed Nova Scotia and groups that provide community food access.Some provinces and territories, including New Brunswick, British Columbia and the Yukon, have sold their remaining American alcohol, the release said.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORAly Thomson is an award-winning journalist based in Halifax who loves helping the people of her home province tell their stories. She is particularly interested in issues surrounding women’s health, justice, education and the entertainment industry. You can email her with tips and feedback at aly.thomson@cbc.ca.