A Calgary distillery has been forced to pull some of its award-winning spirits off store shelves after running afoul of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Bridgeland Distillery produces some popular brandies and whiskies, including a corn-based whisky called Berbon, and a Taber corn-mash spirit that’s only aged for a year, so can’t legally be called whisky which needs to be aged for three years.
The Berbon and the corn mash together make up about 50 per cent of sales for the distillery, which has been in business for about seven years.
But on June 27, 2025, the owners were informed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that someone, who is still unknown to the distillery owners, had filed a complaint about the spirits they were selling.
“So the CFIA came. They came and inspected. They asked us a bunch of questions regarding the product itself and which was our Tabor corn bourbon spelled B E R B O N, which is a corn mash spirit,” said Daniel Plenzik, co-owner of Bridgeland Distillery.
“They indicated that we were trying to mislead our customers into thinking it was a bourbon. We were in disagreement because bourbon whiskey, spelled B-O-U-R-B-O-N, is not allowed to be labelled on a bottle. Our spelling (B-E-R-B-O-N) is associated with the town of Taber, (Alta.), where our corn comes from, along with the barley and the wheat that comes from Penhold, ” said Penzik.
The inspectors returned in July looking for more information and told the owners they should hear from the CFIA in September.
The co-owner of Bridgeland Distillery, Daniel Plenzik, says he hopes the dispute with the CFIA is all “just a misunderstanding or a misinterpretation” of the rules surrounding sales of the spirits.
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“We heard nothing until Feb. 4, two weeks ago, when the CFIA got us on the phone, read the inspection report, and told us we need to pull off the shelf all that product until the infractions are basically corrected,” said Jacques Tremblay, the distillery’s other co-owner, who insists there are no health concerns with the product that have been identified.
He claims the CFIA said it would consider the company’s claims, but it has been almost two weeks and still there’s no resolution.
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“On the use of bourbon, we explained our rationale, why we spell it the way it is,” said Tremblay.
“The word B-O-U-R-B-O N is not on the label,” said Penzik. “Bourbon is not a geographical identifier like we would say champagne or cognac. Can’t spell champagne with an S (or) Cognac with a K. That would be misleading because those are geographical identifiers.
“Bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S.,” claims Penzik. “There is no geographical identification as long as you do not use the word B-O-U-R-B-O-N.”
Calgary-based Bridgeland Distillery has won a number of awards for the spirits it produces and sells.
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Plenzik said the distillery has made some corrections to social media posts to comply with the CFIA’s concerns, but hasn’t had to make any changes to the actual labels on the bottles because the spirit is sold as Berbon.
But the distillery owners are still waiting to hear back again from the CFIA.
When contacted by Global News, the CFIA provided a statement that reads:
“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) received a complaint regarding products from Bridgeland Distillery. A complaint investigation was completed to determine if there were any compliance issues and to verify that regulatory standards for distilled beverages were followed. CFIA is working with the company to review the inspection findings and determine next steps.”
The owners hope it is all “just a misunderstanding.”
“A misinterpretation of the rules, said Plenzik. “Our issue is that there was no discussion. It was just handed down. You must put these products in detention because that is our process. So we are basically being told we are guilty before any sort of ability to be proven innocent.”
“I say, well, the CFIA has some real issues with their own processes and need their own corrective actions,” Plenzik added.
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