As B.C. liquor stores pull American alcohol from their shelves in response to the escalating Canada–U.S. trade dispute, local distilleries are stepping into the spotlight. Among them is Deep Blue Distilleries, based in Richmond, B.C.

Paul Doroshenko, co-owner of Deep Blue, joined The Mike Smyth Show to talk about how the political climate has unexpectedly boosted demand for Canadian spirits—and how his team has had to pivot quickly.

“We weren’t really prepared for it at the time,” Doroshenko said. “February 2nd was when David Eby said, look, we’re pulling American liquor… Suddenly we started posting on social media that we owned a distillery and that this is what was happening. Things went a little crazy.”

Deep Blue, which produces two gins, two vodkas, three flavoured vodkas under the Flash Bang line, and a rum-inspired spirit called Pirate Pete’s Vendetta, found itself ramping up bottling and shipping almost overnight.

“We’ve been shipping—we’re onto our second pallet going out to Vancouver Island,” Doroshenko said. “Everybody wants to buy Canadian. Thank goodness.”

Still, he pointed out that getting listed in B.C.’s government liquor stores remains a major hurdle for smaller producers.

“I’m shocked that we don’t have a local spirit section in every BC liquor store,” he said. “They’re taking U.S. products off the shelves, but they’re not phoning us to ask if we can deliver a pallet of vodka—which we’d love to do.”

For now, Deep Blue is focused on meeting the moment—scaling up production, getting product into more hands, and riding the wave of renewed interest in Canadian-made spirits.