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Pennsylvania liquor stores just introduced a 2-bottle limit for some alcohol. See the entire list of affected bottles.

Liquor store and bar owners across the country have had trouble keeping bottles on the shelf, as bars reopen amid supply-chain issues. Some customers are hoarding.

Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system will begin rationing sales of a few dozen products.
Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system will begin rationing sales of a few dozen products.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer
    by Michael Klein
    Updated 
    Published 

Fanciers of such high-end bubbly and spirit brands as Blanton’s, Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, Patrón, and Veuve Clicquot may be in for a disappointment in Pennsylvania starting Friday.

Citing shortages and supply-chain issues, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has begun to ration sales of 42 products to two bottles a day per customer. The rationing will continue indefinitely, the PLCB announced Thursday. The affected brands represent about 2% of the state’s total list.

Alcohol shortages have been vexing liquor store and bar owners in parts of the country for months, as bars reopen amid a rise in in-home drinking, coupled with shortages of glass and aluminum, and a lack of truck drivers and warehouse workers. Alcohol sales have increased since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The PLCB’s rationing probably will not affect most consumers popping into a Fine Wines & Good Spirits store. But to the many restaurants and bars that pour mass quantities, or to a couple buying booze for their backyard wedding, or to the Phillies clubhouse needing to stock up on bubbly for that World Series win, the impact could be profound.

It’s a “nightmare,” said Justin Weathers, a partner in six restaurants, including Stove & Tap, in the suburbs. He said certain tequilas have been harder to find.

» READ MORE: Pennsylvania’s weird liquor laws, explained

Teddy Sourias, whose Craft Concepts Group runs six Center City Philadelphia bars including Tradesman’s, Uptown Beer Garden, and the Nightmare Before Tinsel pop-up, said hoarding began a year ago. “Some places are over-ordering bottles, which leaves us with none to purchase,” he said, adding that the rationing may help him: “I’d rather have a chance to buy some rather than none.”

The PLCB, one of the nation’s largest buyers of wines and spirits, administers the sale of all alcohol in the commonwealth.

Nearby states, whose liquor stores are independent, are feeling shortages, as well. Distributors of high-end brands have been allocating bottles to retailers, sending customers scurrying to find certain products. Andrea Billick, a buyer at Super Buy Rite in West Deptford, said a man recently drove down from New York City and bought every bottle of Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Rosé, in cash. Some buyers are flipping their purchases at high markups.

Though many drinkers are loyal to brands, there are other champagne, tequila, cognac, bourbon, and whiskey labels on Pennsylvania’s list. Billick said she hoped that grower Champagne, such as Agrapart & Fils and Laherte Freres, would rise in popularity to fill any gap.

» READ MORE: 15 distilleries in and near Philadelphia, whether your taste is for whiskey, rum, vodka, or moonshine

Shawn Kelly, an LCB representative, said: “We’re working hard to restore inventory. We appreciate our customers’ patience.”

Here are the bottles affected by the PLCB 2-bottle limit:

  1. Chocolate Bourbon Ball Cream Liqueur 34 Proof (750 ML)

  2. Baker’s Straight Bourbon Small Batch 107 Proof (750 ML)

  3. Blanton’s Single Barrel Straight Bourbon (750 ML)

  4. Blood Oath Bourbon Trilogy 3 Pack Second Edition 99 Proof (2.25 L)

  5. Bond & Lillard Straight Bourbon 100 Proof (375 ML)

  6. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 90 Proof (1 L)

  7. Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon 90 Proof (750 ML)

  8. Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon 90 Proof (1.75 L)

  9. Colonel E H Taylor Jr Straight Bourbon Small Batch Bottle in Bond 100 Proof (750 ML)

  10. Dom Perignon Champagne Brut (750 ML)

  11. Don Julio 1942 Tequila Añejo 80 Proof (750 ML)

  12. Don Julio Tequila Blanco 80 Proof (750 ML)

  13. Eagle Rare Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old (750 ML)

  14. Elijah Craig Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 18 Year Old 90 Proof (750 ML)

  15. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (750 ML)

  16. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (1 L)

  17. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (200 ML)

  18. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (375 ML)

  19. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (50 ML)

  20. Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof (1.75 L)

  21. Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Black Label Tennessee Whiskey 80 Proof (1.75 L)

  22. Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial Champagne (750 ML)

  23. Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial Champagne Rose (750 ML)

  24. Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne Brut (375 ML)

  25. Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne Brut (1.5 L)

  26. Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne Brut (187 ML)

  27. Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne Rosé (750 ML)

  28. Moët & Chandon Impérial Champagne Rosé (187 ML)

  29. Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Champagne (750 ML)

  30. Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne Rosé (750 ML)

  31. Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Champagne Rosé (375 ML)

  32. Moët & Chandon Nectar Impérial Champagne Rosé (187 ML)

  33. Patrón Tequila Silver 80 Proof (750 ML)

  34. Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof 114 Proof (750 ML)

  35. Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 90 Proof (750 ML)

  36. Veuve Clicquot Champagne Rose (750 ML)

  37. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut (1.5 L)

  38. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut (750 ML)

  39. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut (750 ML)

  40. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut (375 ML)

  41. WB Saffell Straight Bourbon 107 Proof (375 ML)

  42. Weller Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 90 Proof (750 ML)