Utah Alcohol Sales Up Again

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A new report from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control shows the state's annual liquor sales increased for the seventh consecutive year. For the 2013 fiscal year that ended June 30, the state's total liquor sales were nearly $347 million, up 7.7 percent from the previous year. It's not just population growth that is driving up sales. Residents drank an average of 2.6 gallons of liquor in 2013, up slightly from the year before and significantly more than the 1.85 gallons per capita in 2003. The state's fiscal year ended on June 30. Wine is still the most popular type of alcohol, but the state saw the biggest jump in sales of flavored malt beverages such as Bud Light Lime-A-Rita. That was the state's top selling malt beverage over the past year.