Alcohol costs by State?

[murchmb]

Does anyone know of a list/website that indexes the relative cost of alcohol by state? It's something that might be handy to have when traveling. Here in Alabama, we get what the ABC board decides we can have and we pay a pretty hefty premium over a lot of other states due to the tax. I try and stop at stores while traveling to see if it's significantly cheaper. I'm talking spirits here and not beer or wine.

On a side note, when I went to college in Missouri a roommate of mine had a girlfriend whose parents lived in Indiana. They used to bring back cases of Anheuser-Busch products in heavy tall boy bottles for real cheap. We were able to decrease our cost by another third when we turned the bottles back in. The good old days.

 

[sparkchaser]

It's not as cut and dry as you would hope.

This pdf should help illustrate the dilemma.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/images/video//2008_pdfs/GX-Liquor-bn-09-01.pdf

 

[castlecraver]

everything available within the state of Ohio is listed here with prices (note the extra tax for Cuyahoga Cty (Cleveland)). You can't get anything that's not on the list, and the prices are pretty much fixed all over the state.

http://www.com.ohio.gov/liqr/rpts/dolc.liquor.pricelist.txt

 

[airplanedoc]

New Sin tax went into effect here (IL) today, so I am not sure how much worse if just got as of yet, But many people stocked up.

 

[airplanedoc]

http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/245.html

Here is a list of taxes by state beer, wine, spirits, gas, sales etc.

 

[sparkchaser]

Generally speaking, I think that states that allow independent liquor stores have a better variety and more competitive pricing. Virginia ABC stores are meh and all have the same stuff. South Carolina and Maryland have much larger selections and, in the case of South Carolina, prices tend to be significantly less than Virginia.

 

[letterk]

Big selection and generally low prices in CA.

 

[Confuzius]

I'm pretty sure you guys all have it made compared to here in Quebec
For reference
750ml (~26oz) of Smirnoff (Red bottle 80 proof) is $21.95

 

[sklegg]

Cross Washington state off your list for cheap booze. It's certainly no bargain compared to Oregon and California.

 

[bamafan64]

Murch, we go to Baton Rouge quite a bit and definitely get it cheaper from there. Used to be almost half price in some cases, but over the past few years, they've raised their prices in Louisiana, it seems. We have private liquor stores in the Mobile area, but in Alabama, every store reselling hard liquor must buy it from the Alabama ABC board, so typically, you get alcohol cheaper buying it from the ABC stores.
Here's Alabama's price list-
http://www.abcboard.state.al.us/files/store_info/ABCBoardPrices.pdf

 

[Alacrity59]

What's up with "Dry Counties"? I was flabbergasted when I could not buy a 6 pack in Warrendale in Pennsylvania . . . didn't see a liquor store anywhere either. I would have thought the right to get loaded would have been in the constitution somewhere.

 

[bamafan64]

What's up with "Dry Counties"? I was flabbergasted when I could not buy a 6 pack in Warrendale in Pennsylvania . . . didn't see a liquor store anywhere either. I would have thought the right to get loaded would have been in the constitution somewhere.

In Alabama, at least, you can still get loaded in a dry county, you just can't purchase alcohol in that county. I think we only have three dry counties now, if I remember correctly, and, oddly enough, one of those dry counties has a "wet" city as its county seat.

 

[murchmb]

Murch, we go to Baton Rouge quite a bit and definitely get it cheaper from there. Used to be almost half price in some cases, but over the past few years, they've raised their prices in Louisiana, it seems. We have private liquor stores in the Mobile area, but in Alabama, every store reselling hard liquor must buy it from the Alabama ABC board, so typically, you get alcohol cheaper buying it from the ABC stores.
Here's Alabama's price list-
http://www.abcboard.state.al.us/files/store_info/ABCBoardPrices.pdf

Yep. I'm familiar with the ABC board situation. It's not fair, is it? I will say they put out a nice printed quarterly price list that's almost a magazine. Same thing as the PDF you linked.

 

[murchmb]

It might be cool to start a state by state alcohol index thread. Pick a benchmark bottle from each catagory (beer, red wine, Scotch, Rum, Vodka, Bourbon, etc.) and keeps tabs on the price vs. state.

 

[Lucius]

Generally speaking, I think that states that allow independent liquor stores have a better variety and more competitive pricing. Virginia ABC stores are meh and all have the same stuff. South Carolina and Maryland have much larger selections and, in the case of South Carolina, prices tend to be significantly less than Virginia.

It can be broken down even further. MD allows each county to decide how they run things. In our county, liquor is only sold in county-run liquor stores. In other counties, there are just regular ol' liquor stores.

Furthermore, for me, the county IS the distributor for all beer and wine stores as well. While the county liquor stores have ok prices, they usually have half the store on sale with what is not mind blowing, but good, prices. Unfortunately I end up paying several dollars more for a 6 pack of craft beer in my county than I do when I go into VA or DC.

 

[sparkchaser]

It can be broken down even further. MD allows each county to decide how they run things. In our county, liquor is only sold in county-run liquor stores. In other counties, there are just regular ol' liquor stores.

Furthermore, for me, the county IS the distributor for all beer and wine stores as well. While the county liquor stores have ok prices, they usually have half the store on sale with what is not mind blowing, but good, prices. Unfortunately I end up paying several dollars more for a 6 pack of craft beer in my county than I do when I go into VA or DC.

I'll make you a deal: I'll trade you sanely-priced packs of Dogfish head beer and you'll supply me with tasty, tasty rum and gin.

 

[bamafan64]

Yep. I'm familiar with the ABC board situation. It's not fair, is it? I will say they put out a nice printed quarterly price list that's almost a magazine. Same thing as the PDF you linked.

It is a pretty nice little magazine. I wish they had a little better variety and were a little cheaper as well, but I guess we have what we have.

 

[Starcar]

I'm pretty sure you guys all have it made compared to here in Quebec
For reference
750ml (~26oz) of Smirnoff (Red bottle 80 proof) is $21.95

Got you beat $23.95 in Ontario ( LCBO.com )