Liquor sales spike with party/gift-giving season

Christmas shopping for Nancy Thomsen included a trip to the liquor store Tuesday to purchase a bottle of scotch whiskey liqueur for her son-in-law who lives in Bonita Springs.

"They don't have a gift bottle?" she asked as she shopped with her husband, Robert, at the Sebring ABC Fine Wine & Spirits store.

She was told that the Drambuie gift packages are sold out, but more are expected soon.

After picking up a couple of 3-liter wine bottles, Thomsen said she will wait until after Christmas to purchase liquor and champagne for New Year's Eve.

ABC shift manager Gary Minor said the store has been busy since the return of the winter residents/visitors.

"Seems like the most popular gifts are Crown Royal gift sets and the Kahlua," gift set, he said.

The Kahlua package includes a large clear coffee cup and three mini bottles of different flavored Kahluas.

"We had a good variety of gift sets and we still have; we are out of some of them," Minor said. "Baileys Irish Cream is another good item this time of the year."

The holiday gift packs typically include two unique glasses often with a design or etching based on the brand of liquor they accompany. Also, shakers and flasks are popular in gift boxes.

The Wild Turkey (bourbon whiskey) gift set includes a flask and a velvet pouch.

Sweetbay liquor/wine merchandiser Paul Gross said the supermarket chain's liquor stores sell a lot of gift packs this time of the year as presents, which he calls "value added" packs because the price is the same as the bottle alone.

During the holidays, customers have a habit of trading up in the brand of the alcohol they usually drink and also go up in quality for gift, he said.

"If someone normally buys Jim Beam bourbon as their regular bourbon or knows someone who buys that as their regular item, they may buy a Wild Turkey bourbon gift pack for a Christmas gift," he said. For Uncle Joe, who drinks Jim Beam week in and week out, this is a little treat for him.

It's kind of like cologne, they wear aftershave from week to week, but for Christmas they get the good stuff, Gross said.

Due to parties and celebrations, Sweetbay sells about the same amount of spirits in the week before Christmas and the week before New Year's Eve, which are the two busiest weeks for spirits sales in the year, he said. Thanksgiving is the biggest wine selling holiday.

Looking ahead to Christmas dinner, what type of wine goes with a ham dinner?

Pinot noirs are very popular and chardonnays as well, Gross said. Those serving prime rib may want to serve a fuller bodied wine such as a cabernet sauvignon, he added.

What overall affect has the economy had on alcohol sales?

"In all three - beer, wine and liquor - we've noticed that the unit movements are staying the same, but we have seen some trade downs with consumers who may be in a financial pinch or just being a little more conservative."

Someone who bought one type of vodka now is buying a different type of vodka, he said. Also, a person who drinks a 12-pack of beer over the weekend is still going to drink a 12-pack of beer, it's a matter of how much discretionary income they have in their pocket to buy it."

Gross said a beer distributor noted that someone who was drinking a super-premium brew is now drinking a premium, while a former premium customer is now opting for a lower-cost standard brand.