At Arrow Wine and Spirits in Clinton, Mississippi, store manager Shaun Blakeney walked through aisle after aisle of empty shelves.
“There's supposed to be full wine bottles up and down the entire rack, but as you see, the first three legs are empty and there's just the end of the aisle that's got some white blends,” she said. “Everything's kind of scarce in here.”
Shamira Muhammad
Spirits remain low in Mississippi as state's alcohol backlog continues
Nowadays, the store is only open one day a week for five hours.
“We've gotten no Moscatos, very little traditional wines that are staples is what we call them,” she said. “No gin, no tequila. I'm out of the rums, I'm outta the vodkas.”
Mississippi is a control state. This means the government, through the Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, manages all the wholesale liquor through one warehouse in Gluckstadt.
“Everything we get goes through them,” said Blakeney. “There's a tax on it and then we order what we need and they send it to us. Typically on a good day, we'd order on a Monday, we get it on a Wednesday.”
As of April 19, more than 165,000 cases of alcohol continue to sit in the warehouse. It now takes an average of nearly 17 days for it to fulfill orders that come from around the state compared to three in January, according to the Mississippi Department of Revenue. The agency manages ABC.
Blakeney’s customers were hopeful they could still get something. There were plenty of dollar shots, a few bottles of Mezcal, some alcohol mixes and giant orange Buzzballs that have lingered since Halloween.
“I have plenty of bourbons, but it's hot and people don't drink bourbons in the heat. It's the cold drinks, the vodka, the tequila,” said Blakeney.
To add to the store’s low spirits, Arrow Wine and Spirits’s coolers are off and the a/c hasn’t worked for months.
A customer told Blakeney she’s been stalking the store’s Facebook page to see when they’re open and another customer asked Blakeney how long the delays may last.
“They’re saying till June,” she said, packing bourbon into a bag for him.
Ruan is the company in charge of the state’s alcohol warehouse. The company, which was set to do inventory early this year, found that new software it wanted to install was incompatible with the 40-year-old facility’s equipment. They also decided to do away with a conveyor belt system in January because it was old. Instead of getting a new one, they switched to what they call a pick to pallet system. Meaning, workers pick the liquor by hand and put it on pallets.
Within days, a backlog began.
“We've been on hold since the middle of March and we need something that's going to turn fast,” she said. “But the products that we could buy do not sell fast. They sit there for a little while so it takes a little longer to make the money. We need something that's gonna turn a profit.”
In Jackson, Levure Wine Shop had some good news. Store owner Brandi Carter placed what’s called a “special order” through ABC through bonded warehouses. They require a minimum $1000 purchase. Carter’s order from about two weeks ago had finally arrived.
Shamira Muhammad, MPB News
Shamira Muhammad, MPB News
“Right now, I think I've ordered enough that I will be good for the next couple few months,” she said. “But moving forward, if I know that something else is going to change within the system, I will order a smidge more.”
Executive Director of the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association Pat Fontaine said when the backlog began, many of his members were forced to buy alcohol that cost them even more money.
“Many members went to their local wholesale package store to try and buy product,” he said. “Of course, the package stores were experiencing the same delay in shipments and so some products became scarce.”
In 2022, the state legislature approved the construction of a $55 million climate controlled warehouse able to hold twice the amount of alcohol as the current Gluckstadt facility. It’s expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
Fontaine acknowledges that while there is concern about the efficiency of the state’s alcohol being distributed from a single source, the cost of a single warehouse appeared the more attractive option.
“In the study committee, it was brought up about having multiple warehouses throughout the state, one in the north, one central, and one in south Mississippi,” he said. “But of course, I believe, having three separate warehouses, the operating expenses are far greater than operating one.”
At the front of Arrow Wine and Spirits in Clinton was a skeleton wearing a sombrero, standing before a couple of barrels and some blue napkins, but no tequila.
“This is One-Eyed Willie,” said Blakeney. “He's ready for Cinco, even though we do not have any margaritas to sell.”
The distributing company Ruan said in a statement delivery times should go back to normal in “the coming weeks.” They’ve increased staff, added shifts and extended work hours.
Still a few liquor stores in the state have had to close because of the backlog andArrow Wine and Spirits laid off all its staff, except Blakeney.
“We're just hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” she said.
Many restaurants in Mississippi say they’re also losing money because they can’t get alcohol. Meanwhile, at least three liquor stores have filed lawsuits against the distributing company.