According to a new Charlotte Observer report, a liquor shortage in North Carolina, which heavily regulates alcohol sales, prices and distribution, is harming area bars and restaurants. State liquor officials blame the pandemic and global supply chains:

During Wednesday’s regular meeting of the N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, chairman Zander Guy Jr. started off by addressing the statewide liquor shortage. “We all are experiencing the supply and demand shortage, and hopefully that will resolve itself in time,” he said.

North Carolina has 171 ABC county boards across the state that are challenged under the current conditions, Guy said.

That includes the Mecklenburg County ABC Board, which manages the sale of distilled spirits at its 29 retail stores and also sells liquor to restaurants and bars. The commission contracts with a privately‐​owned warehouse contractor, LB&B Associates, which is responsible for the receipt, storage and distribution of spirituous liquor throughout the state.…

But like other industries across the country such as meat, glass and aluminum, the liquor industry is experiencing tight supply and high demand resulting in shortages, Mecklenburg ABC Board CEO Keva Walton told the Observer.…

The North Carolina ABC laws provide a uniform pricing structure to protect against price gouging and untimely price hikes, Walton said. He did not answer questions about which distilled spirits are hard to find or when the shortage might ease.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, which has far less stringent liquor regulations, things seem to be going just fine:

Across the state line, Liquor at the Lake in Lake Wylie, S.C., is fully stocked, assistant manager Josh Martin said.

“We don’t have a shortage at the moment,” Martin said.

In fact, they’re seeing increased demand… from North Carolinians:

He said the store off Highway 49 near the Buster Boyd Bridge is seeing an uptick in sales with more people headed to the lake and because of the shortage on some liquor brands in North Carolina. Some people come as far as Concord and Huntersville [NC], he said, to find specific spirits, including bourbons.…

Unlike North Carolina liquor sales, which is regulated by the state, South Carolina stores can cater to customer’s tastes. “We try to get a variety of various liquors throughout the country,” Martin said.

For a national — maybe even global — problem, North Carolina’s liquor situation sure seems local.