Last night, the Pennsylvania Senate approved Senate Bill 688, a bill to allow low alcohol-by-volume (ABV) spirits ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs) to be sold from certain retail outlets that already sell beer and wine products with the same or lower alcohol contents.

The bill now heads to Governor Josh Shapiro for signature.

“Pennsylvania’s adult consumers deserve the added convenience of buying their favorite spirits ready-to-drink cocktails where they already get similar beer and wine products,” Andy Deloney, senior vice president of state government relations at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said in a news release.

“The legislature recognizes that these products – which share the same alcohol content as beer and wine seltzers – are no different than products already being sold in grocery and convenience stores. SB 688 removes the unnecessary prohibition of spirits ready-to-drink cocktail sales from additional retail outlets, and we urge Governor Shapiro to sign market modernization.”

A survey showed consumers support greater access to these products, including in grocery and convenience stores, with 86% agreeing that spirits RTDs should be sold where beer and wine are available for purchase. Despite having the exact same alcohol content as beer- and wine-based RTDs, spirits RTDs are at a more than 10,000 store disadvantage in the commonwealth.

Pennsylvania is one of many states taking a closer look at this issue to ensure that producers of spirits-based RTDs are being treated fairly, recognizing that treating beverages differently based on the myth that some alcohol is “softer” than others sends a dangerous message to consumers.

For more information, visit https://www.distilledspirits.org/.

(Image via Pixabay/igorovsyannykov)

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