Pourquoi il n'y a pas de spiritueux à l'épicerie, jusqu'à quelle heure on peut acheter, et ce qu'on a le droit d'apporter au restaurant.
Why this guide
This is one of the most common blind spots for newcomers.
You are planning a dinner, you stop at the grocery store, and you look for a bottle of rum or vodka. You will not find it. Not because the store is poorly stocked — because the law forbids it.
In Quebec, the state controls alcohol sales, and the rules resemble those of almost nowhere else you have probably lived. Where to buy what, until what time, what you may bring to a restaurant, whether you can drink in a park: each of these questions has a precise answer, and getting it wrong can cost you a fine.
This guide answers all of them, relying only on the texts of the bodies that enforce them. Where a rule is unclear, or a fine amount differs between sources, we say so instead of guessing.
1. The basic rule: who may sell what
Everything starts from one simple distinction: spirits on one side, everything else on the other.
The SAQ — *Société des alcools du Québec* — is a state-owned corporation. It states itself that spirits above 7% remain strictly under its exclusivity. In other words: rum, vodka, gin, whisky, tequila, liqueurs — SAQ only.
Grocery stores and dépanneurs hold a different licence, issued by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ). This *permis d'épicerie* authorizes the sale of beer (excluding beer mixes above 7% alcohol), cider, wine, and fermented beverages from artisanal producers. No distilled alcohol at all.
One detail explains a lot: to obtain that licence, the store must display at least $5,500 worth of food, and food must make up at least 51% of the products on display. That is why a dépanneur can sell beer, but a shop selling only alcohol could not.
You will also notice that grocery-store wine is not the same as SAQ wine. This is not about quality but regulation: wine sold in Quebec grocery stores must be bottled in Quebec. It often arrives in bulk and is bottled here.
| What you are looking for | Where to buy it |
|---|---|
| Rum, vodka, gin, whisky, tequila, liqueurs | SAQ only |
| Wine | SAQ, or grocery store / dépanneur |
| Beer | SAQ, grocery store, dépanneur, microbrewery |
| Cider | SAQ, grocery store, dépanneur |
| Malt-based ready-to-drink, 7% or less | Grocery store, dépanneur |
| Spirit-based ready-to-drink | SAQ — but an act passed in 2026 will change this |
2. Until what time? 11 p.m., and it's a legal limit
Here is the rule that surprises people most, because it is invisible: a grocery-licence holder may sell and deliver alcoholic beverages every day between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
That is not the store's closing time — it is the alcohol sales cut-off. A dépanneur open 24 hours will refuse your case of beer at 11:05 p.m. The till blocks it automatically. Many newcomers think they went to the wrong store or misunderstood something — no, it is the law.
For restaurants the rules differ: on-site service is allowed from 8 a.m. to 3 a.m., while takeout sales and delivery stop at 11 p.m.
For the SAQ, the answer is simpler than people assume. Food establishments, including SAQ stores, are not subject to standard business hours and may legally open at any time. Their actual hours are therefore a commercial decision by the SAQ, not a legal constraint — and they vary from branch to branch. Always check your own branch before setting out.
3. Age, ID, and a widely misunderstood nuance
The legal age to buy alcohol in Quebec is 18. A minor may never buy alcohol, and may not ask an adult to buy it for them. An adult may not supply alcohol to a minor.
Here is the nuance almost nobody knows, and it is worth getting right: the law does not systematically forbid people under 18 from drinking alcohol. It forbids them from buying it. What happens at home, under parental responsibility, is a family decision. So do not confuse the two: buying is strictly forbidden under 18; drinking is not absolutely forbidden.
Expect to be asked for photo ID, even if you are visibly over 18. This is not distrust of you: the retailer risks a fine and the suspension or revocation of their licence if they sell to a minor.
We do not give a fine amount here: the published figures differ between the official sources we consulted, and we prefer not to spread an uncertain number.
As for bars, a minor may only enter in specific situations: before 10 p.m. and on a terrace accompanied by a parent, or in a reserved section during a private event.
4. « Apportez votre vin » — and the name misleads you
This is a Quebec particularity many newcomers discover late — and often misunderstand.
Some restaurants advertise « apportez votre vin ». It means you buy your bottle beforehand — at the SAQ or the grocery store — and the restaurant serves it to you. The restaurant itself does not sell alcohol.
This is not an informal tolerance: it rests on a specific option of the RACJ restaurant licence, the « pour servir » option, which authorizes the holder only to let customers consume on the premises the alcoholic beverages they brought themselves.
Here is the important point: despite its name, « apportez votre vin » is not limited to wine. You may bring wine, beer, cider, and ready-to-drink beverages of 7% or less.
What you may not bring: spirits and strong alcohol, flavoured liqueurs, and any home-made beverage — your homemade wine stays home.
On service charges — often called *droit de bouchon* — the regulations we consulted say nothing: they neither explicitly authorize nor forbid them. In practice most BYOW restaurants do not charge one, but some upscale establishments may. We quote no amount, for lack of an official source. The simple reflex: ask when you book.
5. Drinking in public: the meal rule
In Quebec the baseline rule is that drinking alcohol in a public place is prohibited — park, street, anywhere generally accessible to the public — except in establishments licensed to sell it, during specific events, or where a municipal by-law provides otherwise.
That last exception matters most day to day, because several large cities have used it. In Montreal, Laval, Sherbrooke and Quebec City, alcohol is allowed in parks only if it accompanies a meal.
The nuance is real and it is enforced:
- Laval specifies that snacks and nibbles do not count as a meal
- Sherbrooke adds a time window, between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
- Montreal applies the rule in park areas where the city has installed picnic tables, or during authorized events
In practice: a bottle of wine with a real meal at a picnic table, generally yes. Beers with friends on the grass with no food, no.
Because rules vary between cities and sometimes between boroughs, check your own municipality's before organizing anything. We quote no fine amounts: the figures in circulation do not come from official sources we were able to consult directly.
6. In the car
A short but broad rule: in Quebec you may not consume alcohol in a road vehicle, whether on a public road, a private road, or in a shopping-centre parking lot.
Note the scope carefully: the ban targets consumption, and it applies to all occupants, not just the driver. A passenger may not drink during the trip.
This should not be confused with transporting alcohol, which remains permitted — you can obviously bring your SAQ purchases home. The common practice of putting opened bottles in the trunk is good practice, not an obligation we were able to confirm in an official text.
This guide does not cover impaired driving, which is a separate and far more serious matter under the Criminal Code and the Highway Safety Code.
7. Bringing alcohol from abroad
If you return from a trip of 48 hours or more, the Canada Border Services Agency allows you to bring back duty-free, choosing one of:
- Up to 1.5 L of wine (about two 750 ml bottles)
- Or up to 1.14 L of spirits
- Or up to 8.5 L of beer (about 24 cans of 355 ml)
Beyond that allowance, you may bring up to 9 additional litres by paying federal and provincial taxes plus the SAQ mark-up. Between 9.1 and 45 litres, an SAQ authorization is required, and customs may ask for it before releasing your goods.
The minimum age to import alcohol into Quebec is 18.
If you plan to ship a full cellar as part of your move, contact the SAQ before shipping rather than after.
8. What is about to change
One rule described in this guide has an expiry date, and it is worth knowing.
In June 2026, the National Assembly adopted and assented to a regulatory-relief act that will allow grocery stores and dépanneurs to sell spirit-based ready-to-drink beverages of 7% or less. Today, only malt-based ready-to-drinks may be sold there; spirit-based ones remain at the SAQ.
The announced coming-into-force date is early 2027, but we could not confirm it in the National Assembly's official text — only press sources mention it. So treat that deadline as indicative and check the state of the law at the time you are reading.
What does not change: spirits above 7% remain under SAQ exclusivity.
9. Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about alcohol in Quebec: where to find spirits, the purchase cut-off time, what you may bring to a BYOW restaurant, and whether you can drink in a park.
Why is there no vodka at the grocery store?
Because spirits above 7% are under SAQ exclusivity. The grocery licence held by supermarkets and dépanneurs authorizes only beer, cider, wine and certain fermented beverages — no distilled alcohol at all, whatever the size of the store.
Until what time can I buy beer?
Until 11 p.m. A grocery-licence holder may sell alcohol every day between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. That is a legal sales limit, not the store's closing time: a dépanneur open all night will still refuse your purchase after 11 p.m.
Can I bring beer to a « apportez votre vin » restaurant?
Yes. Despite the name, this type of restaurant accepts wine, beer, cider and ready-to-drinks of 7% or less. Excluded are spirits, flavoured liqueurs and any home-made beverage.
Am I allowed to drink a beer in a park?
In principle no: drinking in a public place is prohibited in Quebec, unless a municipal by-law provides otherwise. In Montreal, Laval, Sherbrooke and Quebec City it is allowed in parks only if the alcohol accompanies a meal — and in Laval, a snack does not count as a meal. Check your municipality's by-law, and sometimes your borough's.
10. See also
These related guides may be useful:
- Eating out in Quebec — restaurant codes and ordering, the natural companion to the BYOW section above
- Tipping in Quebec — how much and when, including on a bill where you brought the wine
- Grocery stores in Quebec — which chains carry what, and where the beer and wine aisle sits
- Deposits and recycling — which containers are refundable, and the timetable for wine and spirits bottles
11. Official sources
Every rule cited in this guide comes from the official pages below. Several RACJ and SAQ pages exist in French only — they are linked as-is.
- Permis d'épicerie — Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux *(French only)*
- Permis de restaurant — Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux *(French only)*
- Le monopole maintenu — SAQ *(French only)*
- Alcohol: can you buy and drink it? — Éducaloi
- What can you bring to a bring-your-own-wine restaurant? — Éducaloi
- Picnics in the park: what's allowed — Éducaloi
- Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis allowances — Canada Border Services Agency
- Heures normales d'ouverture des commerces — Gouvernement du Québec *(French only)*
Author's note: this guide contains more deliberate blanks than most, and that is on purpose.
Fine amounts for selling to a minor, for drinking in a park or in a vehicle circulate everywhere — on blogs, forums, law-firm websites — but the official sources we could consult directly either do not give them or contradict each other. We preferred to tell you what the rule is rather than what breaking it would cost you. If you need an exact figure for a real situation, the RACJ is the body to ask, not a forum.
For the rest, remember three things and you will avoid 90% of the bad surprises: spirits are at the SAQ and nowhere else, grocery alcohol sales stop at 11 p.m., and « apportez votre vin » actually means « bring your fermented beverage ».
