Buying Spirits in North Carolina: How the ABC System Works

Buying Spiritsin North Carolina

In North Carolina, bottles of liquor are sold to the public only in ABC stores run by local ABC boards, plus at the distilleries that made them. The state sets one retail price for each spirits product, so the same bottle costs the same in every ABC store in the state.

North Carolina has run liquor sales through the ABC system since the 1930s (see North Carolina whiskey history). It has two layers.

The ABC Commission is the state agency. It issues permits, approves which spirits are listed for sale and publishes the price list.

Local ABC boards run the stores. A county or city gets ABC stores only if its voters approve them. The local appointing authority then names a board of three or five members to open and operate the stores. Each board orders its own stock, which is why selection varies from town to town.

Beer and wine are different: grocery and convenience stores with permits sell those.

A bar or restaurant that pours cocktails needs a mixed beverages permit from the ABC Commission, available only where mixed drinks are legal locally. Restaurants, hotels, private clubs, bars, breweries, wineries and distilleries are among those eligible. They buy liquor through the ABC system too, and the state price list shows a separate mixed beverage price, because state law adds a charge on liquor sold for resale in mixed drinks.

Under G.S. 18B-804, retail spirits prices are generally the same everywhere in North Carolina. The ABC Commission sets them on a Quarterly Price List that takes effect in February, May, August and November, plus a monthly supplemental list for supplier discounts.

The shelf price combines product cost, freight, a warehouse fee, a Commission surcharge, state taxes, a local board markup and a few other set charges. Every store uses the same formula, so shop around on selection, not price.

Start with the state price list. The ABC Commission's online liquor price list can be searched by brand name or by NC Code, the item number the state assigns each listed product. Listings show supplier, brand, proof, size and price.

Then ask your local board. The price list does not show what is on any shelf, and the Commission advises contacting your local ABC board for availability. The NC Code identifies the exact product and size, which makes that conversation quick. The Commission's store locator lists boards' locations and hours.

If a spirit is not on the regular state list, a local ABC board can special order it. According to the ABC Commission:

1. You ask a local ABC board for the product.
2. The board requests it from the Commission.
3. The Commission gets pricing from the supplier and passes it back through the board to you.
4. The supplier ships to the state warehouse, which sends it to the local board, which lets you know it has arrived.

The Commission says special orders from established North Carolina suppliers may take four to six weeks. Confirm payment and pickup with the local board; the Commission warns it does not accept wire transfers, peer to peer payments or cryptocurrency, and that scammers may pose as licensed sellers.

State law sets the outer limits and local boards set the rest. ABC stores may not be open between 9:00 pm and 9:00 am, and may not open on any Sunday, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day. Within those limits, each board chooses its own hours and may set additional closing days.

Distilleries are the one exception to "ABC stores only", and the rules loosened in steps:

• 2015: House Bill 909 allowed qualifying distilleries to sell one bottle per visitor per calendar year.
• 2017: Senate Bill 155 raised the limit to five bottles per person per calendar year.
• 2019: Senate Bill 290, signed July 29, 2019, removed the five bottle cap and the related record keeping, and let distilleries serve mixed drinks made with their own spirits where mixed drinks are legal.

Under G.S. 18B-1105 (last amended by Session Law 2025-65), a distillery may sell its own spirits in closed containers to visitors who tour it. As of 2026:

• The distillery must be in a county where an ABC store has been approved.
• Sales are allowed 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 9:00 pm on Sunday, plus 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on New Year's Day, July 4, Labor Day and Thanksgiving when they do not fall on a Sunday.
• The price must be the ABC Commission's set price, and the product must be a listed state code item.
• Bottles bought to go cannot be opened and consumed at the distillery.

The price matches the ABC store. The hours, including Sunday afternoons, do not.

Sherry Cask Finish, a high rye bourbon whiskey finished in sherry casks and bottled by Lonerider Spirits, is listed with the NC ABC under code 66273. Give that number to your local ABC board to check availability or place an order.