NL

Like Lamb's? You're paying more now at the liquor store

The NLC says new quotes from suppliers mean that some prices - such as for a 750 ml of Lamb's rum and domestic beer - are up while other prices have gone down a little.

Although some prices are up, the cost of certain tequila, wine, other products has dropped

750 ml bottles of Lamb's Palm Breeze rum are up 29 cents. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)

Don't shoot the messenger, but if Lamb's Palm Breeze rum is a big part of your Christmas tradition, the price recently went up. 

A 750 ml bottle increased by 29 cents. 

The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation says it didn't initiate that change. 

Marketing and Communications Manager Greg Gill said NLC received new quotes from suppliers at the end of October. 

Greg Gill, the NLC's director of marketing and communications, says suppliers gave new price quotes, partly in order to compete on price point. (Ted Dillon/CBC)

As a result, certain prices went up while others went down. Some of it, he said, was done deliberately to compete with other brands. 

"What you see there is suppliers looking at their product mix and strategically tweaking the price point at the shelf," said Gill. 

A six-pack of domestic beer is up 15 cents.  Make that 49 cents for a "two-four," or 24-pack of beer.

However, one brand of tequila – Hornitos – is down almost $3 a bottle. 

And 19 Crimes Shiraz is down 76 cents a bottle. 

If white wine is more your thing, Relax Riesling is 33 cents less.

Gill said the overall impact of the change – up or down – is less than one per cent. 

As for NLC sales this year, Gill said the corporation is ahead of budget expectations by about two per cent.

That means it should get about 5 million dollars more in revenue than anticipated.