Selling in Control States: Ohio

Ohio, one of 17 beverage alcohol control states, presents an enticing opportunity for alcohol brands looking to expand their market presence. With a legal drinking age population of 8.4 million, Ohio offers a significant consumer base. The state’s spirit sales are overseen by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control (OHLQ), with state liquor agencies generating a remarkable $1.74 billion in high-proof liquor sales in 2022.

Retail and wholesale liquor sales rights are owned by JobsOhio, an economic development organization. At the same time, private businesses, referred to as agencies, operate retail outlets for beer, wine, and low-proof mixed beverages.

How to Get Listed in Ohio

To enter the Ohio market, alcohol brands have two options: special orders or full listings. These are both common paths to entry in liquor control states. In Ohio, special order and full listing submissions are handled in their own unique manner in accordance with state law.

Special Orders

Special orders require essential documents such as an OH Listing Requests Document, a Marketing document, a Bottle and UPC Image, a Complete product specification, and a Wholesale commitment letter showing listed accounts committed to purchasing the brand’s product.

Alternatively, brands can choose the full listing option, which involves submitting the same set of documents as special orders. For those working with Park Street, their compliance team can assist in consolidating and submitting the required documents through the OHLQ portal.

It’s important to keep in mind that Ohio has specific quarterly deadlines for submissions. To apply for eligibility, brands must submit their listing request by:

• September 30 to be listed on January 1
• December 31 to be listed on April 1
• March 31 to be listed on July 1
• June 30 to be listed on October 1

Understanding and complying with Ohio’s alcohol regulation framework and distribution model is key to success in the state’s market. Collaborating with compliance coordinators, particularly those experienced in alcohol control states like Ohio, can streamline the listing submission process and increase the chances of success.

Andres Correa (0:00)

Hi, I’m Andres Correa from the Park Street University team, and today we’ll be learning more about control state laws in Ohio. We’ve previously discussed the differences between open states and control states in the U.S., and if you’d like to learn more about that, you can check out the link to our first video. But today, we’ll be talking about the laws in Ohio, and here are some of the key things you need to know before entering this market.

Andres Correa (0:33)

Ohio has a legal drinking age population of 8.4 million residents. In Ohio, spirit sales are overseen by the Ohio Division of Liquor Control, and in 2022, state liquor agencies sold $1.74 billion of high-proof liquor. An economic development organization called JobsOhio actually owns the rights for retail and wholesale sales of liquor, but meanwhile, private businesses called agencies own and operate retail outlets for beer, wine, and low-proof mixed beverages.

Andres Correa (1:06)

Beverage alcohol brands can enter the state via special orders or full listings. For special orders, the state requires an Ohio listing request document, a marketing document, bottle and UPC images, complete product specifications, and a wholesale commitment letter which shows the listed accounts that are committed to buying your product.

Andres Correa (1:34)

For full listings, Ohio requires an Ohio listing request document, a marketing document, bottle and UPC images, and complete product specifications. For Park Street clients, the compliance team will assist in consolidating and submitting everything through the OHLQ portal.

Andres Correa (1:50)

In Ohio, there is a deadline in each quarter:

• Submissions made before September 30th will be eligible for listing on January 1st of the following year.
• Submissions made before December 31st will be eligible for listing on April 1st of the following year.
• Submissions made before March 31st will be eligible for listing on July 1st within the same year.
• Submissions made before June 30th will be eligible for listing on October 1st of that year.

Andres Correa (2:23)

To learn more about control states, push the subscribe button below to keep up with our full series. If you’d like to learn more about how Park Street services can assist your brand in entering these states, please contact us at psu@parkstreet.com. Thanks for tuning in!Join the Thousands of Alcohol Industry Members Who Receive the Park Street Daily Newsletter!