Diageo Sells Shuttered Amherstburg, Ontario, Bottling Facility
Diageo has agreed to sell its Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, bottling plant to an undisclosed buyer, according to news reports. Diageo announced in August 2025 that the facility would shut down, and it was listed for sale in December 2025 and eventually closed at the end of February of this year.
A Diageo spokesperson confirmed in news reports that the purchase sale agreement for the plant had been signed, but details on the purchaser could not be shared at this time. Amherstburg bottled Diageo’s Crown Royal Canadian whisky prior to its closure.
The announcement of the plant’s closure last fall received significant blowback from Ontario premier Doug Ford, who threatened to delist Crown Royal from Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores in the province, which in turn drew backlash from union leadership and other politicians across Canada. A settlement was reached in February that saw Diageo pay nearly CAD$23 million to keep Crown Royal in LCBO stores.
In addition, when Diageo said in October last year that it could sell the building but had not received credible offers, Amherstburg’s mayor claimed the company turned down a multimillion-dollar offer to buy the site.
About the Author
Andy Hanacek
Senior Editor
Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.