Why People From Connecticut Call Liquor Stores ‘Package Stores’
By Ethan Carey
July 29, 2019
CONNECTICUT – Is it a ‘liquor’ store or is it a ‘package’ store?
I know some of you like myself, have stayed up until the wee hours of the morning debating this red-hot topic. In New England, most people who walk into a shop to purchase their booze whether it be vodka, gin, whiskey, wine, and/or beer will usually say they’re going to the package store.
The simple answer is a liquor store and a package store are pretty much one-in-the-same. They both sell prepackaged alcoholic beverages. At Dictionary.com., when you type in, ‘liquor store,’ it reads, “see package store.” The definition for both reads:
A store selling sealed bottles or other containers of alcoholic beverages that may only be consumed off the premises.
In my research, I discovered a fascinating article by food writer and culinary historian, Robert F. Moss who explained in great detail the historical nuances between liquor and package stores. I’ll give us both a break by keeping it brief.
In his book titled, ‘Southern Spirits: 400 Years of Drinking in the American South,’ Moss explains that up until the 20th century, most breweries and distilleries only sold their products in kegs and barrels.
In 1897, a Federal judge ruled that if booze purchased by a specific state was still in the ‘original packages’ when sold by a wholesaler to that state, it could be sold to consumers. Before that ruling, most retailers would have to buy in bulk and then single-handedly pour the contents into bottles themselves. Within a month of the ruling, the first ‘package store’ opened in Charleston, South Carolina.