Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally and Premier Danielle Smith speak in Edmonton on Oct. 15, 2025.--CP FILE PHOTO
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New legislation is seeking to create a separate designation for Alberta whisky, distinguishing it from classic Canadian rye.
The Alberta Whisky Act would create new standards for a product to be marketed as Alberta Whisky. Alberta Whisky would remain a variation of Canadian Whisky. Existing Canadian whiskies would not qualify as Alberta whiskies unless they met the new stringent standards.
“Over the past decade, Alberta whisky has continued to grow from a handful of distillers to the dozens that exist today,” said Premier Danielle Smith at a press conference Tuesday.
“Our government recognizes an opportunity to build on the exciting things happening right now in the Alberta whisky industry, and we want to showcase them on the world stage.”
Products will have to meet Alberta-specific requirements to obtain the legal designation as “Alberta Whisky.” The label requires the whisky is made in the province from start to finish: mashed, fermented, aged, proofed and bottled entirely in Alberta.
It will also need to use Alberta ingredients, including 100 per cent Alberta water in the pre-distillation process and at least two-thirds of Alberta-grown grains.
Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally says Bill 24 will support the province’s agricultural sector. He also hopes it could be the first step in a new tourism initiative.
The government is aiming to generate $25 billion in annual visitor spending by 2035.
“When our distillers succeed, that means more visitors coming through the doors, more bottles on shelves and more money flowing into our communities. It also means new opportunities to showcase what we have, whether that’s through tasting rooms, local events or even something like an Alberta Whisky Trail,” he said.
There are 45 whisky distillers in Alberta, including 43 small craft operations.
Whiskies produced in Alberta have competed admirably on both the national and international stage. Several Alberta-made whiskies have taken home prizes from the Canadian Whisky Awards, the World Whiskies Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Alberta whisky will also be required to meet a set of quality standards, including that it is aged in small wood at least three years and maintains a minimum of 40 per cent alcohol by volume.
Participation in the new designation would be voluntary. Distillers can continue to produce other whisky products that do not qualify as Alberta Whisky.
Nally said Kentucky generates $9 billion annually from its whisky business.
While he declined to estimate the expected economic impact of the Alberta Whisky initiative, he is optimistic.
“Kentucky is a smaller jurisdiction than Alberta, and we have better whiskey. And they started this process of the 1990s and we’re starting it now. So they’re a little bit ahead, abut you know what? We’re going to get there.”
Bill 24 also bears the distinction of being written with the assistance of artificial intelligence, a first in Canada.
“We’re not really anticipating a world where AI writes all of our legislation alone, but we certainly anticipate one where AI can be one of the tools that we use to write legislation,” said Nally.
Nally told reporters AI was used primarily to analyze data and generate the “building blocks” of the bill. He says staff and MLAs reviewed the legislation at every step.
