There could be a seismic shift in drinking habits coming in the near future, with a large tax increase on alcohol products coming to Canada next month, plus recent Health Canada warnings about the health risks of excessive drinking.

Alcohol taxes are set to go up by more than six per cent on April 1, which is the largest jump the country has seen in over 40 years.

Jeff Pierson, the owner of Blackbeard's Restaurant in Estevan, said he doesn't expect the tax hike to impact his operations a whole lot, though it depends on what his suppliers decide to do.

"It all depend on our suppliers if they pass on the tax to us, then we would have to pass it on to our consumer," Pierson said. "But we're just not raising all our products by six per cent on (April) the first across the board. We will only do it when it's absolutely needed."

"As orders start coming in, it'll be a wait and see approach. But we certainly don't want to raise the prices if we don't have to."

Pierson said the tax increases could be a deterrent for people buying alcohol into the future. He's also seen some trends in the types of drinks his customers are buying as they become more health conscious.

"People are looking for the carb count on drinks. Some of the new coolers and seltzers...you know we're really targeting that market. Lower calories zero sugar is really gaining popularity," Pierson said. "I think people are just trying to cut down on that or watching their health, but we have lots of those in stock and they are selling very well."

Pierson said that although it's hard to judge what people's behaviours will be down the road, he said he and his staff are always trying to bring in what his customers want.

"We're certainly trying to bring in these new products that focus on the health side of things because I think people are looking for more, so it's just our job to accommodate those people," he said.