South Asian liquor lovers in Ontario frustrated by absence of favourite brands at LCBO

Ravindra Kumar finds great pleasure in sharing a glass of whisky with his friends at his bar when they visit his home in Brampton, Ont.

He has a fondness for all types of whisky, including those from his homeland of India. 

However, he's frustrated by the limited availability of Indian whisky at his local Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) store.

"I have to co-ordinate with local distributors for Indian whiskies, aligning my purchases with their schedules," he said. "I can't simply stroll into the LCBO and buy them whenever I please as I do with other brands of whisky." 

Kumar's complaint is not an isolated one. Distributors of South Asian alcoholic brands in Ontario say that they do not receive adequate shelf space, and the absence of a destination store for South Asian brands makes it challenging to sell in Ontario. Consequently, many of them end up launching their brands in other provinces in Canada.

The LCBO, a government enterprise that operates as one of the world's largest buyers, retailers and wholesalers of wine, beer and spirits, has 18 destination stores to sell spirits from different geographies of the world.

It recently launched its third East Asian store in Toronto for products from the East Asian region, but none cater to the preferences of South Asians. 

According to Statistics Canada, South Asians are the largest visible minority in Ontario.

Abish Cherian, of Thamesford, Ont., east of London, started making the Mandakini brand of country liquor, popularly known as Desi Daaru in Hindi, as a COVID lockdown project. 

It grew and by 2023, annual sales hit 21,000 bottles in Alberta, B.C. and other parts of the world, including the U.S., India and the United Kingdom, according to Cherian. 

"People want to have Mandakini, but [the] LCBO won't give me a shelf space and asked us to remove 'South Asian' labelling. This is systemic bias," said Cherian, one of the co-founders of Oxford Beverage Group Inc., the manufacturer of Mandakini.

"The absence of a designated category for South Asian products, subjective critiquing of taste, feels like an oversight in recognizing and accommodating cultural diversity." 

Mandakini is available for sale on LCBO.com, but not in its retail stores.

For Cherian, Mandakini embodies South Asian flavours and celebrates "South Asian culture and heritage. Maintaining this label is crucial for our brand identity and appeal."