Philadelphia

Like a ‘Fireball'! Pennsylvania Wine and Liquor Sales Hit 5-year High

Pennsylvania had another blockbuster year of wine and spirits sales

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Portland Press Herald via Getty

What to Know

  • Patrons of Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores (and online buyers) spent $2.5 billion in the 2018-19 fiscal year ending in June.
  • The sales were up 3% from the prior year, according to the PLCB’s annual report.
  • The 99-cent bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky had an explosive year in Pennsylvania, with a 272.8% increase in sales year-over-year.

Bottoms up!

Pennsylvanians bought more than 5.5 million mini airplane bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky last year, making it the top-selling product sold by the state's Liquor Control Board. The 99-cent bottles of cinnamon whiskey had an explosive year in Pennsylvania, with a 272.8% increase in sales year-over-year. Fireball, owned by the Sazerac Co, dropped its "Party Bucket" in summer 2018, which held 20 of those spicy 50-milliliter bottles.

As a whole, Pennsylvania had another blockbuster year of wine and spirits sales. Patrons of the state’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores (and online shoppers) spent $2.5 billion in the 2018-19 fiscal year ending June 30, 2019. That's up 3% from the prior year, according to the PLCB’s annual report.

The PLCB’s annual report gives a snapshot of how Pennsylvania drinks. Philadelphia County, specifically, was a big spender on wine and liquor last year, with more than $256 million in booze sold. Philadelphia alone accounted for 11.5% of all wine and spirits sales in the state last year and was only beat out by Allegheny County — home to Pittsburgh — which spent more than $300 million on wine and spirits.

See a gallery of Pennsylvania's best-selling wines and spirits on PBJ.com.

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