What Bourbon is Easy to Get in Canada
Bottlebeagle is an app that alerts you when a bottle you've been looking for is back in stock – so we get a ton of questions about how to find Pappy van Winkle in Canada.
Pappy is the holy grail of bourbon (at least in terms of demand), and guess what! We're relatively lucky in Canada when it comes to acquiring it. While in the USA, bottles go to VIPs and restaurants and rarely get even seen at retail without a 10x markup, we at least can put our names in a draw at our local liquor store, and get to pay MSRP prices. Sure, it's hard to get, but it's at least a level playing field.
So from biggest province to smallest, here's how to you can get a bottle of Pappy in Canada – with a lot of luck and persistence.
Pappy van Winkle in Ontario
Last known release: February 2022 – allocation ended February 26 at 6pm EST, unknown quantities.
Previous releases: January 2021, with 3x Pappy 23 , 6x Pappy 20 , 15x Pappy 15 .
The LCBO is your provincial monopoly, and Pappy is offered roughly once a year through the LCBO's Vintages department. Pappy releases are part of Vintages' allocated offerings:
When demand for a product or offer is expected to be significantly greater than our supply, customers submit their orders up to a pre-stated deadline and products are randomly allocated to customer orders based on an algorithm.
In other words, you put your name in a draw, and they'll tell you if you won the chance to buy it or not.
How to enter the draw for Pappy in Ontario:
- For notifications, sign up on the LCBO Vintages site for email notifications of new releases (make sure to select Vintages Latest).
- When the time comes and a new allocation order is available, head to the Vintages Shop Online, create an account, and enter how many bottles you'd like of which kind.
- About a week later, you'll get an email saying whether or not you got any. Good luck!
Pappy van Winkle in Quebec
Last known release: March 2017, unknown amounts of Pappy 23 and Pappy 20
Similar to Ontario, Pappy appears to be allocated based on a random draw.
You'll have to be a SAQ Inspire member to get a newsletter that'll tell you when it happens.
Then, you just enter the SAQ's soon-to-come Prestige Arrivals lottery system and you'll find out if you get anything! Though that new lottery system hasn't been launched yet, it promises to be a lot easier to navigate, and is all online!
Pappy van Winkle in British Columbia
Last known release: April 2022 with 16x Pappy 23, 11x Pappy 20 and 6x Pappy 15.
In BC, Pappy van Winkle bottles are allocated in an online draw. Keep an eye out for messages in store – they'll redirect you to an online form you can fill out. Wouldn't hurt to join their newsletter, either.
When the time comes, they'll create a website where you can enter the draw. Here's the one from January 2021: there were draws for all the Pappy and Old Rip van Winkle bottles.
Interestingly, Bottlebeagle sees some Pappy bottles showing up as if they're available in retail stores in Vancouver and Langley. Chances are this is just a fluke of how their stock system works and you couldn't just buy the bottles of the shelf, but it does let us see more precisely how many bottles were in the system.
Pappy van Winkle in Alberta
Last known release: November 2020, Wine and Beyond, 2 x Pappy 23
Unlike every other Canadian province, Alberta doesn't have a provincial liquor monopoly. That means it's a lot harder to track down where exactly the Pappy bottles go.
But there is good news! While in the past all the Pappy that went to Alberta was sent to "on-premise" clients (AKA bars and restaurants), at least a couple retailers are getting allocations of Pappy bottles – including Wine and Beyond.
Pappy van Winkle in Manitoba
Last known release: October 2020, with 3x Pappy 15
Manitoba also has a random lottery system to award the chance to buy a bottle of Pappy van Winkle.
You'll have to keep an eye on the newsletter, but once you do, you'll have 12 days to enter a draw for a small allocation of Pappy. According to the last one they posted, you'll then be emailed if your name was drawn.
Pappy van Winkle in Nova Scotia
Last known release: June 2020, with 1x Pappy 15, 2x Pappy 20
Nova Scotia does things different with the NSLC and Pappy van Winkle! They run an in-person draw, with a few bottles across the Pappy line. But you have to head to the NSLC's flagship The Port store, in downtown Halifax.
Unfortunately, the NSLC doesn't have a mailing list, so you're just gonna have to keep your ear to the ground.
Pappy van Winkle in New Brunswick
NB Liquor holds lottery for chance to buy rare bourbon
A highly sought after Kentucky bourbon is available in the Maritimes for the first time ever.
Last known release: 2015
A lottery was held in 2015 for some bottles in New Brunswick, but it's unclear whether Pappy at NB Liquor is still being stocked regularly.
Pappy van Winkle in Newfoundland and Labrador
There does not seem to have ever been stock of Pappy van Winkle at NL Liquor. Might be time to hop on that ferry to Cape Breton and make your way to a Halifax Pier.
Pappy van Winkle in Prince Edward Island
There does not seem to have ever been stock of Pappy van Winkle in PEI. Halifax isn't far, though!
Pappy van Winkle alerts on Bottlebeagle
Though Bottlebeagle is extremely helpful for getting stock alerts on rare and out-of-stock bourbon, we currently don't do alerts for draws. We'd rather send you a text message to go get a bottle you can actually buy!
Plus, there are all sorts of bourbons out there that are much easier to find, and just as good (seriously!). My personal fave is Weller Special Reserve. It's a wheated bourbon – just like Pappy van Winkle – and it runs about $40 at the LCBO. It's usually released a couple times a year, and you can definitely get liquor stock alerts from Bottlebeagle on it.
Source: https://www.bottlebeagle.com/blog/pappy-van-winkle-in-canada/
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