Ohioans have simultaneously set a record and made alcohol makers very happy.
Sales reached $734.8 million statewide for spirituous liquor in 2009, according to a release by the state Division of Liquor Control. That’s more money spent than ever before in Ohio — and $15.7 million more than 2008. Spirituous liquors are drinks such as vodka, whiskey and rum, which contain more than 21 percent alcohol by volume.
Sales increased by 191,798 gallons from 2008, bringing the total up to 10.7 million gallons sold last year.
“Dollar sales have been increasing for several years, mostly due to increases in product prices, consumers buying premium-priced products and a rise in the level of consumption,” said Kimberly Zurz, Ohio director of commerce.
However, distributors near campus have not noticed a change.
“Things stayed the same,” said Gursev Sidhu, owner of the State Liquor Agency on North High Street. “We didn’t really lose or gain.”
The brands that his business sells the most are relatively similar to
top sellers at the state level, Sidhu said. For instance, the top-selling brand in Ohio last year, Kamchatka Vodka, also sells well at the State Liquor Agency.
“It’s cheaper. That’s why we sell a lot,” Sidhu said.
Though Zurz said the record amount spent on spirits in Ohio in 2009 came mostly from higher prices, Sidhu said changing prices have not affected sales for him thanks to actions by the state and individual distributors.
“We don’t notice too much jump because they are trying to keep prices low,” Sidhu said.
The State Liquor Agency is filled with OSU students on Thursdays and Fridays, he said, but most business comes from other people in the community.
John Ashraf, manager of Champs Market at the corner of Eighth and Worthington avenues in the south campus area, estimates that about 90 percent of its customers are OSU students. But his store sells more diluted forms of alcohol — not the spirituous liquor controlled by the state.
Matt Mullins, public information officer for the Division of Liquor Control, said Ohio is a control state, meaning the division is the sole purchaser, distributor and retailer of strong liquor. The division contracts with private businesses to sell the products, Mullins said.
“After operating expenses, the revenue derived from the sales is returned to the state,” he said.
Andrew Ginnan, a senior in accounting, had little reaction to the figures from the state. He said his alcohol consumption by college students hasn’t likely changed.
“I don’t think the numbers reflect an increase in alcohol consumed by students here at Ohio State,” Ginnan said. Instead he said he thinks Ohioans are buying more of the “cheaper” brands.
“I think the numbers reflect the overall financial troubles our state is facing,” Ginnan said. “Many people are now unable to afford or unwilling to spend the money on the top-shelf liquors they may have previously bought.”
