The Windsor Star reported that Pernod Ricard is investing $115 million in the Hiram Walker distillery in Windsor, Ontario. This latest news follows Diageo announcing in September that it would be closing down Crown Royal’s Amherstburg bottling plant. It appears Pernod Ricard intends to make a grab for the lost market share.
“This site for Pernod Ricard is extremely strategic in North America,” said Pernod Ricard Senior Director of Operations at Hiram Walker, Josh Reit in a statement, according to The Windsor Star. “We look at not only its strategic position with North American Supply. We also look at its overall footprint and its capabilities. We have the capabilities for rum distillation, whisky distillation, vodka distillation. We also do gin. So not only its location, but its versatility.”
Currently, 450 local employees work at the distillery. Hiram Walker produces Canadian Club Whisky, which Beam Suntory owns. The brand also makes a small batch rye called Lot No. 40 Whisky. Yet perhaps the most popular brand is J.P. Wiser’s, one of the oldest Canadian whisky brands in the country.
Crown Royal’s Canadian Departure Was Controversial
Crown Royal’s claim to fame stems from its diverse selection of flavored whiskies. Forbes ranked its vanilla expression as the Flavored Whisky of the Year in January. Yet when Diageo announced that it was shutting down the Amherstburg bottling plant in February 2026, the spirits giant faced more than its fair share of backlash, including from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
In a press conference, Ford dumped out a bottle of Crown Royal in protest. He railed against Diageo’s decision-makers and called them “as dumb as a bag of hammers.”
“The message to the CEO in France, ‘You hurt my people, I’m going to hurt you!’ You’re going to feel the pain in February when these people don’t have a paycheck. I’m going to stand up for the people in Ontario, and I encourage all Canadians and Ontarians to stand up for the people. You don’t know if you’re next.”
CBC reported in September that restaurants were pulling Crown Royal off the menu, like Gilligan’s Amherstburg. The family restaurant had no problem pulling off American whiskey brands like Jack Daniel’s in response to President Trump’s tariffs.
“We have a lot of people that work in town that frequent here all the time, their families,” said Gilligan’s Owner David Hayes, according to CBC. “A lot of guys like to come here after work. I’ve gotten to know them. It hits home on a personal level that way as well for sure.”
Politically speaking, it seems like Premier Ford has no problem escalating things. On Monday, CBC reported that Premier Ford and Ontario’s Liquor Control Board (LCBO) might pull Crown Royal off the shelves. Such a move could lead to a catastrophic loss in revenue.
“A message to all the bigwigs at Diageo: I swear to God, those bottles of Crown Royal are coming off the LCBO shelves,” Ford expressed at a rally in Brampton. “When the last person walks out through that door, we’re going to make sure LCBO takes off their brands because we need to stick together.”
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