Prices will be rising on wine and spirits in the Commonwealth in 2026, according to the Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Association (PWSA), Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), American Distilled Spirits Alliance (ADSA) and Wine Institute (WI).
The state's Liquor Control Board has approved an additional fee of $1 per case on spirits and wine sold through state stores and that the fee will be assessed by shipping package, not by the size of the package.
In other words, a four-pack of ready-to-drink cocktails will be subject to the same fee as a 12-bottle case of wine and spirits.
However, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) says it has used a bailment process that allows the suppliers of its highest volume products to store their products in the PLCB's contracted distribution centers prior to their purchase by the PLCB and subsequent distribution to FW&GS stores, adding that it has absorbed that cost for 13 years, "essentially providing free warehousing for bailment vendors."
PLCB says the $1 per case fee is intended to help offset the operational costs involved with warehousing services provided to bailment suppliers.
The groups opposing the fee say it's another challenge to the industry at a time when global alcohol consumption is down.