Oh…shit! Here we go again….

There is something seriously wrong with craft alcohol in Saskatchewan. In particular, there is something wrong with craft distilling. Or, is the problem with Gov’t?

In my experience craft distilling has never been made to feel welcome in Saskatchewan. Back in 2015 this became evident to me. Sask Liquor & Gaming (SLGA) took a suspicious view of craft distillers. The senior level inspectors adopted what I call an Elliot Ness attitude. They treated craft distillers poorly and resorted to intimidation tactics. Some of these inspector types came from ex-military and ex-RCMP backgrounds. Perhaps this fueled the Elliot Ness attitude? Over a year ago there was a change at SLGA. New, more reasonable, inspectors were hired and the old problem players were re-assigned to other Gov’t departments. Hope was in the air. Distillers were feeling more confident. But that all went out the window this week when out of the blue the Saskatchewan Auditor targeted craft alcohol in her annual assessment. She has ordered SLGA to renew its intense focus on craft. She went so far in her report to suggest that craft distillers are cheating on their declared production volumes. Wow! The entire relationship between craft and Gov’t has taken a dark turn. What I cannot figure out is why. Why this inherent mistrust of craft alcohol makers? Could it be the big commercial players pressuring SLGA to adopt a harsher approach? Maybe…..but why? I am at a loss to explain this about-face turn. But I do know this – if you are contemplating starting a craft distillery in Saskatchewan, you had best think again. There is a province immediately to the west that would be a more welcoming location. Move one more province west and it gets even better. How utterly sad this all is…..