Utah's booze prices exceed national norms
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.


Utah has some of the highest liquor prices in the country, according to an Axios analysis of liquor prices in all 50 states.
Why it matters: Liquor sales brought about $240 million in revenue to the state's coffers last year.
What's happening: With a mandated 88% markup for liquor, Utahns pay $44.99 for a handle (1.75 liters) of Tito's Vodka — the second-highest price found by Axios Local correspondents who surveyed prices across the country.
- That's more than $12 above the average price we found.
- Only Oregon ($46.95) topped Utah. But in Indiana, you can get a handle of Tito's for just $19.69!
Details: This vodka brand isn't our only pricy liquor.
- The regular Utah price of $51.99 for a handle of Jack Daniel's was the fourth-highest price we found. (But it's on sale now for $49.99!)
- Our Jack's is nearly $9 more expensive than the average.
- Our Hennessy VS is less overpriced: $94.99, less than $2 above average.
Zoom out: Utah's state-required markup makes run-of-the-mill bottles significantly more costly than they are in Wyoming (state-set minimum $37.21 for Jack's), Nevada ($88.99 for Hennessy in Vegas), and Colorado ($25.89 for Tito's in Denver).
- Idaho prices are similar to Utah's.
Yes, but: Utah's liquor stores also limit the markup on rare bottles that can cost almost 10 times as much in other states.
- In a 2021 Pappy Van Winkle sale (bourbon whiskey, for the uninitiated), Utahns paid $300 for a 23-year-old bottle that often runs $1,000 to $2,000 elsewhere.
- The state occasionally runs lotteries for rare products.
