Fill 'em up: Controversial vodka jugs return after short hiatus
A local distillery says it's restarted production of its four-litre vodka jugs after it says it was unfairly targeted by the Alberta government.
The jugs were recently the subject of disparaging comments by Alberta Service Minister Dale Nally, who called the pricing of the value-size vodka "not very responsible."
"When we heard about the comments from the minister, it was some sort of shock," said T-Rex Distillery CEO Yvonne Irnich. "We were, I felt, unfairly targeted."
The offending jugs were a private-label product made for Super Value Liquor at the price the store requested.
The jugs normally sell for $60 but were being offered for $49.95 by the liquor store as a promotion.
They were reviewed by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) and followed federal packaging and labelling laws.
"What it’s not in compliance with is the spirit of Albertans," Nally told reporters Monday.
"We believe in responsible pricing, and that's where I think it goes afoul."
Irnich said she felt "backstabbed" by the comments, and her shock quickly turned to anger.
"I do everything by the book, I have a good relationship with AGLC," she said. "We check everything over and over before we launch any products … so being accused like this, I felt [was] so unfair."
The jugs have been for sale for around a year, and Irnich said she had never received a single complaint until Nally's comments.
"The minister made it look like we were doing something illegal, which we (aren't). We have checked everything with the regulations, everything is absolutely fine."
The publicity around the jugs led to a rush of negative emails and calls, Irnich said, and on Tuesday the distillery announced it would stop producing the product.
By Thursday, Irnich said an overwhelming outpouring of support for the distillery led them to rethink that decision.
"It almost brought tears to my eyes," she added. "People I don't know, people from all over the country almost, stood up, wrote to the minister's office for us."
"After that much support we received, and the great feedback from Albertans, I think we will bring it back."
Nally's remarks were made during the introduction of a bill that would give him the power to set liquor prices.
Despite his issue with the jugs' pricing, Nally said the next day he will not be imposing floor pricing for alcohol on the shelves.
"Alberta’s government supports a free and open market while prioritizing social responsibility and the health and safety of Albertans who engage in gaming, alcohol, and cannabis consumption. Alberta’s distilleries are known to produce world class products and we want to maintain that reputation," Nally's press secretary Nicky Gocuan said in a statement Friday.
With files from Lisa Johnson of The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.