Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission

by Christie Scott You may have heard some say that liquor is cheaper in California. The facts are that only a handful of products are significantly lower, while most products are very competitive. In fact, after you’ve added in the California sales tax, many popular products in Oregon are actually less expensive. Many retail stores in states like California use a sales tactic called “loss leaders.” This is the practice of drastically marking down a few popular, fast-moving products to entice customers into coming into the store and purchasing other products. But then other products are likely marked higher to make up the cost difference. The OLCC does not use these techniques to entice people into liquor stores. For public safety reasons, the state does not try to encourage alcohol sales or try to entice people into the stores. The most common size bottle sold in Oregon is 750 ml also known as "fifths." Most people who purchase alcohol purchase this size - a...

Remember the 70’s when Oregon wineries were just getting their foothold in the market?  And do you recall the boom of the Oregon brewers back in the 90’s? Now, the prosperity of Oregon entrepreneurs is shining on the distillery industry.                                            OLCC has licensed more than 40 Oregon distilleries and the number is growing. Our unique Oregon culture promotes a positive environment for craft distilleries. For example, a distillery license in Oregon costs only $100. Another benefit is that distillers do not have to "buy shelf space" to get their product into stores. Because the OLCC treats all products equally – there are no extra fees that local distillers have to pay to get their products on the shelves of liquor stores. The OLCC w...