Pa. liquor: Are you paying more for your favorite bottle?
Under a new flexible pricing power that the Pennsylvania legislature granted to the Liquor Control Board last year, on Aug. 28 the agency began rolling out price increases on 421 of its more-popular bottles of wine and liquor.
While prices change regularly for a variety of reasons, including vendor costs and the ends of discount periods, these marked the first increases imposed solely at the LCB’s discretion in 25 years.
After a request by The Inquirer and Daily News, the agency provided a list of all 1,833 price changes effective on Aug. 28 -- but declined to identify which prices, or how many, were raised under the new pricing power and which were as a result of other factors.
In all, 952 bottles increased and 881 decreased in price. The vast majority of increases were by 50 cents to $4. Up by $5 or more? 51 bottles, nine of which were wines. In an informal comparison of some major brands at liquor stores out of state, some Pennsylvania prices were much higher while a handful were good deals.
Check out what kind of bang you now get for your buck with our interactive graphics using information obtained from the LCB and the latest-available prices from some major Delaware and New Jersey stores.
A Price Boost for Booze
(Note: Prices can vary across stores out of state.)
| Brand | Dollar increase |
Old price | New price | N.J. price | Del. price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Beam Bourbon (750 mL) | $1.00 | $16.99 | $17.99 | $19.99 | $15.99 | |
| Seagram's Extra Dry Gin (750 mL) | $3.00 | $9.99 | $12.99 | $15.99 | $13.49 | |
| Kahlua Coffee Liqueur (1.75 L) | $5.00 | $39.99 | $44.99 | $39.99 | $29.99 | |
| Malibu Coconut Rum (750 mL) | $3.00 | $13.99 | $16.99 | $18.99 | $18.49 | |
| Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum (1L) | $1.00 | $20.99 | $21.99 | $24.99 | $24.99 | |
| The Macallan Scotch 12-year-old (750 mL) | $5.00 | $54.99 | $59.99 | $59.99 | $57.99 | |
| Johnnie Walker Red Label Scotch (750 mL) | $3.00 | $23.99 | $26.99 | $19.99 | $18.99 | |
| Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila (750 mL) | $1.00 | $24.99 | $25.99 | $26.99 | $23.99 | |
| Skyy Vodka (1.75 mL) | $5.00 | $22.99 | $27.99 | $21.99 | $19.99 | |
| Absolut Vodka (750 mL) | $2.00 | $17.99 | $19.99 | $19.99 | $18.49 | |
| Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack Whiskey (1.75 L) | $7.00 | $54.99 | $61.99 | $51.09 | $53.99 | |
| Jameson Irish Whiskey (1L) | $1.00 | $31.99 | $32.99 | $41.99 | $39.99 | |
| Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay (750 mL) | $3.00 | $11.99 | $14.99 | $9.41 | $7.97 | |
| Cavit Merlot (1.5 L) | $3.00 | $11.99 | $14.99 | $13.99 | $12.29 | |
| Woodbridge Reisling (1.5 L) | $3.00 | $11.99 | $14.99 | $11.99 | $11.97 | |
| Beringer Founders' Estate Merlot (750 mL) | $2.00 | $10.99 | $12.99 | $8.99 | $7.97 | |
| Barefoot Bubbly Pink Moscato (750 mL) | $3.00 | $9.99 | $12.99 | $9.99 | $9.79 | |
| Robert Mondavi Private Selection Riesling (750 mL) | $2.00 | $10.99 | $12.99 | $8.51 | $9.79 | |
| Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc (1.5 L) | $2.00 | $9.99 | $11.99 | $9.99 | $9.79 | |
| Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay (750 mL) | $1.00 | $20.99 | $21.99 | $12.99 | $14.97 | |
| Totals | ||||||
| Pa. | N.J. | Del. | ||||
| Total before tax: | $488.80 | $447.84 | $420.92 | |||
| State tax: | $29.33 (6%) |
$30.79 (6.875%) |
$0 (0%) |
|||
| With Philadelphia tax: | $9.78 (2%) |
|||||
| Total price after tax (outside Philadelphia): | $518.13 | $478.63 | $420.92 | |||
| Total price after tax (within Philadelphia): | $527.91 | |||||