An increase in spirits outlets selling distilled spirits in Pennsylvania would result in convenience for consumers and increased revenue for the commonwealth, David Wojnar, vp-state government relations, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. told the Pennsylvania Senate Law & Justice Committee.
“Pennsylvania drastically lags behind other control states in the number of spirits outlets available – forcing consumers to travel long distances or forgo purchasing spirits altogether and ultimately reducing the amount of revenue received by the commonwealth,” Wojnar said.
“Increasing the number of stores will give spirits consumers improved access and convenience, similar to what is already in place for wine and beer, and bring Pennsylvania closer to the national average for retail availability for spirits,” he said.
If Pennsylvania had the same number of spirits stores as the average mid-Atlantic state per population, Pennsylvania would have closer to 3,000 stores, not the roughly 600 it has now, he said. In Control States, there are 2.59 retail outlets per 10,000 people but only 0.65 per 10,000 people in Pennsylvania.