PLCB report reveals the most popular alcohol and wine in Pennsylvania. Those little bottles of booze are still a hit.
Mini bottles of spirits sold well in 2022-23, although Pennsylvania drinkers may be losing their taste for the top-selling Fireball.
Pennsylvanians may be losing their taste for shots of Fireball, the cinnamon whiskey that goes down like molten Red Hots candy, but its 50mL mini bottle was still the state’s top-selling spirit last year.
Tito’s vodka and the much, much less expensive Crown Russe vodka are also popular among customers at Fine Wine & Good Spirits. Tito’s, for example, saw sales increases in all sizes, particularly the 50 mL.
The figures come from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which on Tuesday released its latest annual report, covering July 2022 through June 2023.
The tiny booze bottles — the 50mL, 99-cent screw-tops that find their way into shows and sporting events — have been top sellers with the PLCB for at least the last five years. According to the report, the bottles represented six of the 10 best-selling spirit items, and 14 of the list’s top 25.
Fireball sales dipped from 4.63 million units to 4.08 million, year over year. Fireball was the first to crack the million-bottle milestone in the 2017-18 report. Other mini brands, such as New Amsterdam’s vodka and pink lemonade, the line of 99 Schnapps, Yukon Jack liqueur, and E&J apple brandy, showed increases.
The PLCB reported $3.15 billion in sales including liquor and sales taxes, an increase of $136.3 million (or 4.5%) over the prior year. Midyear, in January 2023, the PLCB announced a 4% price increase on about 3,550 popular wine and spirit items, including Ketel One and Captain Morgan. The PLCB’s reported net income of $260.8 million was down $70.1 million, or 21.2%, over the previous year.
The state reported the highest sales increases in the categories of ready-to-drink (43.4%), tequila, silver or blanco (14.9%), and cognac (7.8%).
On the state’s wine list, La Marca prosecco was again the top seller, enjoying a 10% sales increase as it rides the trend toward lower-alcohol bubbly mixers for spritzes.
In second place again was the 1.5-liter bottle of Cavit pinot grigio; the 750mL size was 11th. Last year was a good one for California’s Josh Cellars — which recently became the subject of a clever meme. Its cabernet sauvignon was third, edging out Kendall-Jackson’s Vintner’s Reserve chardonnay.
Josh Cellars’ chardonnay, meanwhile, was one of the fastest-rising brands; it finished sixth with a 25.5% sales increase.
Fun facts off the PLCB report
December 2022 had 12.3% of yearly dollar sales, followed by November 2022 with 8.8%, meaning that the PLCB generated about a fifth, appropriately enough, of its annual revenue over the holidays.
The top-selling county was Allegheny, followed by Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware. The top three — Allegheny, Philadelphia, and Montgomery — accounted for 35% of statewide sales.
In 2021-22, the PLCB sold nine bottles of Hook or Crook Cellars Reserve Chardonnay Lodi 2021 through e-commerce. Last year, it sold 1,165 bottles — a 12,844.4% increase. It’s a $10 bottle — “light oak and buttery aromas are complemented by tropical notes of pineapple, peach and pear,” according to tasting notes. André California Champagne Brut (106.3%) and the 5-liter Franzia Chardonnay (53.5%) also saw sales spikes.