Something exciting is happening in Pennsylvania.  A bold new start-up founded by Bluecoat Gin alumni, Andrew Auwerda, is offering spirits not available in the PLCB system:

BOTLD — a new pop-up store at 119 S. 18th St. as well as an e-commerce site offering free shipping in Pennsylvania — bottles and sells spirits that cannot be found in Fine Wine & Good Spirits’ inventory, even on the special-order list.

BOTLD bypasses the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s monopoly on wine and spirits sales, which tends to exclude smaller distillers that may not have the scale, distribution, and resources to get into its catalog.

Andrew calls out the particular problem for craft brands like us:

Let’s take Catoctin Creek, from Purcellville, Va. “You’d think they’d be available here,” Auwerda said.

“They have plenty of fans here, but they’re not. They’ve tried many times to get through the normal system and have been rejected. This is a way for them to fill out their map.” BOTLD sells three rye whiskeys from Catoctin Creek, priced from $45 to $90 a bottle. Auwerda said he follows manufacturers’ suggested retail pricing.

You can read the full story, here.