A barrier is being removed that could clear the way to reopen the historic Canadian Club Brand Centre in Windsor, which was shut down almost a decade ago.
In the Ontario government’s 2026 fall economic statement, the province announced it is making changes to the licensing framework that would allow for the sale and sampling of whisky at the historic Canadian Club Brand Centre.
The province says these changes fulfill the government’s commitment to protect the centre, provide opportunities for increased visibility of Ontario products, and help support tourism and economic development in the Windsor area.
Beam Suntory, which owns the Canadian Club whisky brand, shut down the brand centre in 2017, ending all events and tours. Beam Suntory does not own the property but has a lengthy lease in place for the site.
One issue at the time operations ceased at the site was the inability for Canadian Club to sell full bottles of its product due to various legislated rules.
Windsor-Tecumseh Conservative MPP Andrew Dowie says the announcement is a commitment to address a legal impediment and regulations that prevented the sale of full bottles at the brand centre, if there’s an appetite to reopen it.
“It stems back from the separation of the Canadian Club brand from the rest of Hiram Walker,” he says. “The product is still made by Hiram Walker, but it isn’t owned by Hiram Walker. It fell outside the retail opportunities that the legislation had set out.”
Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr says since the centre closed, he and Mayor Drew Dilkens have had many discussions with officials at Beam Suntory on what needed to be done to reopen the site.
This past summer, Orr and Dilkens were able to meet with the Ministry of Finance to explain the situation ahead of the fall economic statement as interest seemed to change in creating new opportunities to showcase Ontario-made products.
Orr says when people are coming to a destination and taking a tour, it’s all about the three Ts-tour, taste, and takeaway.
“Certainly, when the Canadian Club Brand Centre was open, they were able to have a tour and a tasting, but they weren’t able to buy the product. On the way out, you weren’t able to buy a bottle. That is a significant part of the experiential tourism that we all need, and it supports economic activity,” he says.
Orr says they know the Canadian Club Brand Centre is a unique, authentic experience because it helped tell the story of Hiram Walker and Walkerville.
“It is part of that Walkerville Distillery District when you combine the Canadian Club Brand Centre with our J.P. Wiser’s Experience Centre and combine Walkerville Brewery; now you’ve got a cluster. Now you have a destination; now you’ve got a district that’s helping to tell our story,” he says.
AM800 News has sent an inquiry about the future of the site to Beam Suntory but has yet to receive a response.
The property at 2072 Riverside Drive East in Walkerville was built in 1894 by Hiram Walker as the main executive offices and global headquarters for Canadian Club whisky.