Government Booze - Closed for Business

We're almost out of Irish Cream. As anyone with small children knows, Irish Cream is an absolutely essential household item. Adding just a splash to your coffee puts the good in good morning.

My wife and I ordinarily purchase our Irish Cream--and our wine, tequila, and whisky--at the local Commonwealth-run Fine Wine & Good Spirits store. Only problem is, the Fine Wine & Good Spirits store is closed due to Coronavirus.

And not just closed. The freaking windows are boarded up. It looks like the building's been condemned.

But it's not condemned. There's perfectly good liquor in there. Just a case of government incompetence.

So exactly how are we going to restock our Irish Cream supply? Well, like any good government operation, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board builds up your hopes, then deflates them faster than my three-year-old with a party balloon. Upon hearing the news of online sales up and running, I ran to my computer and pulled up the site. Would I get my Irish Cream?

I think you know the answer. The online ordering system is just as closed as that boarded-up building.

FineWineandGoodSpirits.com has reached fulfillment capacity and is currently not taking any more orders.

Well that isn't convenient at all. But that's what you get when your state's alcohol policy is a holdover from Prohibition.

Andrew Abramczyk has a fantastic piece in Broad and Liberty breaking down why government control of alcohol distribution is such a problem. Check it out here.

Poor planning, ineptitude and (frankly) a lack of the skills required to survive in a free market resulted in a website that continually crashed as residents rushed to place their orders. As of this writing, the site has closed until further notice, with Pennsylvanians’ cups running dry in a crisis. - Andrew Abramczyk

Dave La Torre also posted an excellent take via The Hill last week.

Let's go, Pennsylvania. Time to let go of Prohibition Era liquor policy.

In other news, Dad's Hat PA Rye won a major award. I may have to visit when the apocalypse is over.