Ordering from Canada

[Elagabalus]

Does anyone know of any site that ships bourbon/scotch to Canada?

Thanks.

[Muskrat Portage]

Okay, I'll field this one.
Elagabalus:
No.
Many of the distilleries in Scotland state on their websites that they will not ship to Canada and in some cases this even extends to the non-alcoholic items in their stores.
The LCBO and their ilk have the country sewn up as liquor is a provincially controlled monopoly. There are ways of acquiring SMs through ordering cases for yourself through the LC special services branch. The cost is prohibitively expensive for the average Ontarian.
Muskrat

[Elagabalus]

Well that is just bloody ridiculous.

[Muskrat Portage]

Elagabalus:
You may want to consider joining the SMWS or "An Quaich"
http://www.smws.com/
http://www.anquaich.ca/
I think Lawrence is with the SMWS and somehow acquires whisky that way. The cost may be a bit higher than you are willing to pay, but I suspect the dividends are worth it. An assured way of accessing the whisky is to know someone who travels back and forth between Canada and the UK.
A few of the posters are in An Quaich, which I am considering joining, and they appear to taste single malts at their functions, that the rest of us can only dream of. It would be a more reasonable membership cost for we peasants, with the added benefit of cameraderie with fellow whisky lovers.
Muskrat

[ColinL]

Im a very lucky Canadian in that i have family living in the USA, about 40minutes drive from where I live in Vancouver. I haven't done it yet, but i plan to order things to their address, and bring it back across the border myself. If i stay there for a night or two, which is usually the case, I can bring back a bottle tax free, and even paying the tax I'll still be ahead in price, and especially in selection. I recommend doing this if you can.

Colin.
http://www.forpeatsake.com/

[Muskrat Portage]

Elagabalus:
Was on the An Quaich website yesterday and they aren't taking any more members at this time. So scratch that idea for now.
Muskrat

[Lawrence]

Why don't you join the Companions of the Quiach, you can take part in special orders, especially if you live in Ontario.

[les taylor]

Hey guys I had not realised what a problem this was for you. It almost forces you to become an undergound movement. How ridiculous.

[Quaichuser]

Elagabalus:
Was on the An Quaich website yesterday and they aren't taking any more members at this time. So scratch that idea for now.
Muskrat

M P...Just to let you know the OLG put an end to our purchasing a couple of years ago. An inspector was invited to one of our meetings as a guest and repaid us by stopping our practise of selling the scotch at the meetings. For the last couple of years we have been only getting what comes in through the LCBO. We've been working to restore our status but you know how fast governments move.
We still get interesting drams but we just don't have the exclusivity that we use to. It is a good opportunity to try something without investing in the entire bottle.

[Elagabalus]

It's the damned communists!

[sharkoverboard]

I have bought several bottles from Parker's Whisky in Banff, Scotland and they ship across the pond including good O'Canada.
http://www.parkerswhisky.co.uk/shop

Parker's has an exclusive bottling of a 1975 Glenglassaugh which is one of their flagship bottles. Definitely worth the £85 for a 30 year old malt.
http://www.parkerswhisky.co.uk/glenglassaugh

[Lawrence]

I've never heard of this whisky shop, thanks for the tip,

Lawrence

[Deactivated Member]

I've never heard of this whisky shop, thanks for the tip,

Lawrence

Well, then you're not paying attention! See here. What kind of Cask Strength Gold Member are you?

[Elagabalus]

lol

[Lawrence]

Well, then you're not paying attention! What kind of Cask Strength Gold Member are you?

Not for long!

[mithril]

I have bought several bottles from Parker's Whisky in Banff, Scotland and they ship across the pond including good O'Canada.
http://www.parkerswhisky.co.uk/shop

It's not so much the shipping to Canada, it's the fact that both Canada and the US only allow alcohol shipments to registered importers. Canada's custom agents are very very good at finding alcohol shipments, so much so that the majority of shops refuse to ship to Canada merely because all their shipments end up being returned or destroyed. US customs appears to be a bit laxer about their inspections than ours so many places will still ship there. One of the lads at Royal Mile Whiskies told me that on average 80% of their shipments to the US make it through but 100% of their shipments to Canada were rejected. Therefore they only ship non-alcoholic goods to us now and don't even attempt to ship bottles anymore.

It's also illegal to mail alcohol across provincial borders in most (if not all) parts of Canada. That's highly unfortunate as there's a great shop in Calgary called the Kensington Wine Market which stocks 200+ expressions and averages $10 - $15 per bottle cheaper than the BCLC's, and occassionally you find a really phenomenal deal there. As an example I went to the KWM to pick up an order while in Calgary visting my parents over X-Mas and found my bottle of Longrow 14 for $116. The same bottle costs $164 at the BCLC.