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Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2009 > January > 15
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Ohioans are staying home to drink their liquor
Ohioans are drinking more booze than ever before, and they’re drinking it more often at home and less often in bars and restaurants, according to sales figures released Thursday by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.
The sales data also suggest Ohioans are quite loyal to their brands: The top-ten brands of booze barely budge from year to year, and the top three haven’t changed in at least three years: Kamchatka Vodka is the top seller, followed by Jack Daniels Black Label Tennessee Whiskey and Bacardi Superior Light Rum.
But it’s clear Ohioans’ drinking habits are changing. Wholesale sales of liquor — purchased by bars, restaurants, fraternal organizations and other permit holders — fell for the second straight year in both dollars and gallonage, while retail sales of booze in groceries and other liquor stores recorded robust increases. Overall, dollar sales reached $32.6 million in 2008, up 4.8 percent over 2007, while gallonage rose to 10.5 million gallons, up 2.6 percent.
The wholesale numbers suggest that the poor economy, the mid-year gas price spike and the smoking ban have prompted Ohioans to drink more at often at home, liquor-control spokesman Matt Mullins said.
Denny Freyvogel, co-owner of Arrow Wine & Spirits who oversees the Centerville store, said his store’s 2008 sales mirrored the state’s, with wholesale sales down and retail sales up.
And Ohioans know what they like: the same 15 brands that were the top sellers in 2007 were on the same list in 2008, with only minor shuffling of the rankings. Freyvogel said customers’ brand loyalty remains strong even in the face of price increases and a poor economy.
“People who drink liquor are going to drink the same liquor, no matter what the price,” Freyvogel said.
For the top 10 liquor brands by sales, click on “continue reading” if the list doesn’t appear immediately below.
Top Ten liquor brands in Ohio in 2008
Kamchatka Vodka - 380,465 gallons
Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey - 359,873 gallons
Bacardi Superior Light Rum - 328,920 gallons
Captain Morgan Spiced Rum - 285,763 gallons
Jagermeister - 284,488 gallons
Smirnoff Vodka - 277,937 gallons
Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey - 275,027 gallons
Absolut Vodka - 267,159 gallons
Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey - 250,070 gallons
Korski Vodka - 227,403 gallons
Source: Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control
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TweetRestaurants offer ‘sneak peek’ to Restaurant Week menus
Here’s a sneak peek to a sneak peek, so to speak, since the following story is scheduled to run in Friday’s Dayton Daily News Go section. And we’ll have more — much more — about Restaurant Week in the coming days.
A SNEAK PEEK TO RESTAURANT WEEK
Ten Dayton-area restaurants will offer a sneak peek of what they’ll be offering during the upcoming Winter Restaurant Week at a preview party from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the White Allen European Auto Group showroom at 648 N. Springboro Pike (Ohio 741).
Among the restaurants that will offer an early look at the dishes they’ll offer the following week are Bahn Mai Thai Cafe, Brixx Ice Company, Bullwinkle’s, The Caroline, Coco’s Bistro, El Meson, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, La Piazza, Rue Dumaine, and Sweeney’s Seafood Restaurant.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at DayAir Credit Union Branches, F and S Harley Davidson, White Allen European Auto Dealership, SICSA, Bahn Mai Thai Cafe, Brixx, The Caroline and Fleming’s, and are also available online from the Miami Valley Restaurant Association.
A record 57 restaurants are participating in this year’s Winter Restaurant Week Jan. 25-30, in which diners pay $20.09 for a three-course meal, with the restaurants donating $1 for each meal sold to local charities.This winter’s beneficiaries are SICSA and Hannah’s Treasure Closet.
Menus for Restaurant Week are still just trickling in, but here’s the MVRA link to the menus if you want to get an early look and check back.
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