Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) sales are now the standard across nearly every retail sector. Americans routinely get everything from groceries to beer and wine delivered straight to their homes. Yet when consumers say, "I can't find a bottle at a liquor store near me," it doesn't change the fact that spirits remain largely locked out of ecommerce. A patchwork of fragmented state laws restricts who can legally ship and receive bottles of liquor. This complex web of regulation blocks distilleries, both large and small, from accessing the basic ecommerce freedom that has transformed other sectors, forcing them to miss out on significant revenue opportunities.

A new study, the 2025 Direct To Consumer Spirits Shipping Report, published by Sovos ShipCompliant and the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), shines a bright light on this gap, confirming that the regulatory hurdles directly contradict overwhelming consumer desires.

The Market: Consumers Are Ready to Spend

The report makes it clear that the demand for DtC spirits is not just high—it's a critical, untapped market that distillers are forbidden from accessing. Consumers want convenience and choice, especially when it comes to unique craft brands which are often unavailable at their local stores.

• Massive Demand: According to the report, 67% of Americans 21 years old and over and 85% of regular craft spirits drinkers want the ability to legally purchase their favorite spirits via DtC shipping. This desire has increased steadily over the past few years."
• Significant Revenue Loss: The study found that if DtC shipping were made legal across the country, regular consumers indicated they would spend an average of $1,500 annually on spirits shipped directly to their homes. This represents billions in potential revenue left on the table by current laws.

For small, craft distillers who struggle to gain distribution through the traditional three-tier system, DtC shipping is not just a convenience—it's a pathway to survival and growth.

The Problem: Where DtC Spirits Shipping Stands Now

Despite this overwhelming consumer interest, the spirits industry faces a stark reality that holds it back. The DtC spirits market is currently hampered by a restrictive and confusing legal landscape. In stark contrast to the DtC wine market, which is largely permitted across 47 U.S. states and D.C., only nine states allow the interstate shipping of spirits. The result is a complicated patchwork of laws that often include low volume caps, confusing licensing requirements, and outright prohibitions in "dry" jurisdictions.

This legal complexity does more than just frustrate distilleries; it directly denies consumer choice. The report highlights that over three-quarters (77%) of regular craft spirits drinkers have tried a unique spirit while traveling that they later couldn't purchase back home because of these shipping restrictions, demonstrating how current laws actively suppress both market growth and customer discovery.

The main conclusion of the report is that to unlock the industry's full economic potential and provide consumers with the choice they demand, policymakers must modernize these antiquated laws to align with the proven, regulated models used successfully by the DtC wine market for nearly two decades.